


Sign Here (Give Your Heart Away)

by Shi_Toyu



Series: Evil Tony Fics [11]
Category: Iron Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Alternative Universe - No Gods, College, Contracts, Dark Loki, Dark Tony Stark, Dom/sub, Emotional Manipulation, Happy Murder Family, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Killing, Light BDSM, Loki Does What He Wants, M/M, Nick Fury Knows All, Obsessive Behavior, Possessive Behavior, Protective Rhodey, Rhodey Is a Good Bro, SHIELD, Thor Is a Good Bro, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Torture, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-14
Updated: 2017-07-04
Packaged: 2018-04-20 16:50:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 54,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4794977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shi_Toyu/pseuds/Shi_Toyu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It didn't take Loki very long to figure out that Anthony would be trouble, but that didn't make it any easier to resist temptation...especially not when temptation is trying to serve itself up on a silver platter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is marked Dark Tony Stark and it WILL BE but Tony does not start out that way! Please be advised! The relationship Tony and Loki have works for them but it IS NOT HEALTHY. Shit is going to go down. This is the only warning you will get. I hope you enjoy. ;) 
> 
> As of right now, I am also not sure how much child abuse will actually play a part in this fic, but I added it to the tags just in case. If you feel one way or the other on the matter, please let me know in the comment section. Thank you for reading.

Loki noticed them as soon as they entered the bar. It was obvious they were too young to be there, though the dark skinned male could at least make a believable case for being newly 21. The younger one, though…there was no way. Loki idly wondered how much the small brunette had been forced to bribe the bouncer just to get inside. His youthful face was plastered with a grin and sparkling eyes that promised ill-thought-out choices. He buzzed with energy as he dragged his friend toward the bar, laughing and chattering away like a chipmunk defending its territory. Loki's gaze followed him until a muscled arm wrapped around his shoulders and jostled him from his thoughts.

"Brother! You look far too solemn for such a joyous occasion! Here! Drink with me!"

Loki had little choice but to accept the drink thrust into his chest if he did not wish to wear it. He hid his deepening scowl behind a large gulp, knowing through years of experience that pacifying Thor would get him through this evening far sooner than fighting would. If Thor wanted to get his obnoxious friends together and drag Loki out to a bar to celebrate the green-eyed man's birthday, there wasn't a power on earth that could stop him.

"There. I'm drinking, see? I'm practically the life of the party."

Thor roared with laughter, clearly thinking Loki's sarcasm was born of joking and not wishing he were anywhere but here. He turned back to his friends, chanting and cheering as Volstagg chugged whatever concoction he'd managed to talk to bartenders into making for him. Loki grimaced and took small comfort in knowing that he would be the only one sober enough at the end of the night to handle the checks, meaning he could leave exorbitant tips on each of these fools' credit cards.

A long stream of numbers drew his attention back to the two boys from earlier, who had settled at a table not far away from Loki and the circus he was forced to associate with. They each had a drink in hand, heads bent close together despite how their voices carried and they were sending less-than-surreptitious glances at Sif, who was practically draping herself over Thor despite his complete lack of interest.

"I'm just saying," the darker one argued, "you'd have to use y=mx+b to measure the slope of that ass."

His companion snorted.

"You're kidding me, right? C'mon, Rhodey! You and I both know that's mathematically incorrect! Unless the ass was linear, but that's biologically incorrect. You'd be way better off using something like y=ax^2+bx+c given that the ass is a second degree polynomial curve."

Rhodey actually looked a little disgusted as he made a crack about his young companion majoring in booty math. Loki hardly cared. It wasn't really so much that he minded living in a college town, especially when that college was MIT, it was just that drunken college students were so irritating. They had no self-control, no respect for those around them. Loki got enough of the frat boy lifestyle growing up with Thor, thank you very much.

He kept an eye on the room as he sipped at his beer, one ear on Thor and his friends and another making sure no one was creeping up behind him. It was a side-effect of his career, he supposed, but a price he was more than willing to pay for how much it made him. His ridiculous brother and his ridiculous archeology career would never bring in the same level of income, not that their father saw it that way. Of course, Odin was under the impression that Loki was in corporate sales working for a big-name medical equipment supply firm. It probably wouldn't go over well if he knew the truth.

It was because of this constant vigilance, and also the fact that he was still only half-way through his second drink of the night, that Loki was the first to notice the two boys approaching their little group. Hogan, at least, seemed to notice shortly after. The younger of the two strode right up with an air of confidence uncommon in one so young among those who were clearly his elders. The other one trailed somewhat reluctantly behind him, looking as though he wanted to bolt at any moment.

"Hey," the kid, for he was surely a kid despite being in his late teens, said as he slid into an empty seat next to Sif, "my friend and I couldn't help noticing you from across the bar. May I just say it's an absolute pleasure to meet such a divine specimen as you in a place like this?"

Sif couldn't seem to decide between shock and confusion.

"Who're you?"

"Tony." His grin never faltered, but Loki did note the way his eyes darted across the table to where he himself sat. "But the question you really need to be asking is 'who is this?'" He pulled his friend forward and fluidly switched places with him. "The name's James Rhodes and he's top of his class in aeronautical engineering over at MIT and, yes, that means he's literally a rocket scientist."

Tony beamed at the end of his introduction, clearly oblivious to his friend's desire to be swallowed up by the ground. Sif probably would have just rejected them outright if Thor hadn't leaned over her to clap each of the boys on the shoulder.

"Well met, friends! You have a fine eye to have picked Sif of all the women in this establishment, for her beauty is matched only by her fierce loyalty and tenacity!"

Loki rolled his eyes at Thor's speech patterns. Honestly, who did the oaf think he was kidding? He'd taken one semester of drama his freshman year of college and suddenly Shakespeare was his life. Tony, on the other hand, didn't even blink.

"A fine match, indeed!" He'd even raised his voice to match Thor's boisterous tones. "Never have I seen loyalty to match that of my dear friend here. And his courage is second to none."

His 'dear friend' appeared to be contemplating how best to strangle him in a crowded bar. Sif looked equally uncomfortable and Loki felt the smile creeping across his own face at the opportunity lying before him as if served up on a silver platter.

"Perhaps," he laid one hand on Thor's arm to garner his attention, "we should allow the two to get to know each other before we start planning the wedding, hmm?" Sif shot him a look of gratitude the quickly shifted to something more vengeful as Loki continued. "Won't you both join us? I am sure the company would be quite pleasant."

Tony grinned like a cat that had eaten the canary and gotten a bowl of milk in reward.

"Sure thing, green eyes." He winked. "And may I ask what your name is?"

Either the boy flirted with everyone or Sif hadn't been the only reason they'd come to the table. Loki had the sneaking suspicion it was a bit of both. Up close there was an innocence to the boy, a perpetual optimism that clung to him like a second skin. It reminded Loki just a bit of Thor's eternal cheerfulness and it made the desire to sully that innocence curl in the pit of his stomach. The boy's brows furrowed for just a moment as though he could read his elder's thoughts before his face cleared.

"I am Loki," he dipped his head just a bit in greeting, "and this is Thor."

Introductions continued among the other three around the table and then they all settled back in. Tony had somehow wound up next to Volstagg and the two were soon in deep conversation about different drinks. While the young man was clearly knowledgeable, it was also obvious that he wasn't much of a drinker himself. His face flushed prettily after only two beers and Loki felt his eyes drawn to the young man again and again. Perhaps he was getting a bit tipsy himself.

He finally pushed away from the table once he noticed his own gaze lingering on chapped, teeth-worried lips for the umpteenth time. That wasn't something he needed to be dealing with. He barely had enough time to deal with people his own age. The last thing he needed was to sleep with some teenaged college student who'd expect breakfast the next morning and a call back. Better that Loki just take that contract he'd been putting off and get out of town for a few days.

Thor, of course, kicked up a fuss at Loki calling it a night but there wasn't much he could do about it. Tony had attempted a bit more flirting, but Loki had let it glide right past him. It left the boy pouting behind him, but that was alright. He would have been much worse off if the evening had taken a different direction.

.

..

…

..

.

The contract took three days to complete, which was honestly pretty common for any jobs that required travel. Of course, the more complicated jobs took longer but Loki hadn't been in the mood to deal with stalking his prey before killing it. All he wanted was a brief distraction and to get paid. He didn't even bother going back to his apartment before stopping by his favorite coffee shop for a cup of tea and a croissant. He would sit with his order and unwind from the tension of his profession before returning to his home and going straight to sleep. He'd barely settled in before someone dropped down across from him.

"Hey there, green-eyes."

Tony grinned at him as though he hadn't just invited himself to sit at the table of a practical stranger. He practically vibrated with the energy of one who was over-caffeinated and sleep deprived. Loki arched one eyebrow at him.

"Why do I get the feeling that you being here isn't a coincidence?"

"Probably 'cause it's not and you're actually smart enough to figure that out."

Loki tore off a bit of croissant and popped it into his mouth. This particular establishment warmed honey and drizzled it over the top of their pastries to give each bite a hint of sweetness. For someone who ate as many sweets as Loki, it was heaven.

"So what does bring you here?"

"You, obviously. Duh. I never did manage to get your number the other night and Sif said this was your favorite place to go. Figured you'd turn up here eventually. Gotta say, it's pretty nice. I think I've had pretty much everything on their menu at this point. Top notch coffee. Can't beat Bianco's location, though. It's way easier to pop in there between classes." He grinned lecherously. "Sweet Temptations, though…Great name."

Loki scowled at him.

"So you have been attempting to stalk me."

He would have to remember to pay Sif back for this one, though he was sure she likely saw it as paying him back for stranding her with that Rhodes character.

"Stalking is kind of a strong word," Tony hedged. "I prefer to think of it as strategically increasing my odds of running into you through the application of knowledge and gathered information."

"Well, if you're here for my number, I shall have to leave you disappointed. I have no intentions of turning it over to you."

Tony shrugged, not looking the least bit put out. Loki just wanted to go home and take a nap.

"That's cool. I get it. It's hard to trust people with your number in this day and age. You never know what they could be up to. How about a date, instead?"

On one hand, Loki had to admire his tenacity. On the other, he really wanted this to be over with. He would not be swayed by wide, honey-colored eyes and dark lashes.

"Somehow, I don't think cornering someone in a coffee shop is the best way to ask them on a date."

Tony looked sheepish for the first time and Loki could make out the barest hint of color under his lightly tanned cheeks.

"Yeah, well, I don't ask that many people out on dates." He glanced up at Loki through bangs that were in severe need of a cut. "I actually haven't before. Ever."

His innocence was shining through again and Loki could feel that same desire rising up within him that he'd felt in the bar. He wanted to take that innocence and write his name all over it, twist it so that it was no longer recognizable and then shove it in darkness so it would never make its way back out again. Still, he knew a bad idea when he saw one.

"I am afraid I will have to decline. Perhaps your next attempt will be more successful."

There was a flash of hurt through Tony's eyes, and it caught Loki's attention instantly. It was not the flash of an unknown pain, but of one born many times.

"That's alright," Tony covered easily. "I'll ask as many times as you need to say yes."

Startled from his thoughts, Loki gaped at him.

"What?"

"I'll be back here as many times as it takes and I'll keep asking until you say yes. I can tell you're interested, you know."

Loki scowled, but didn't bother denying it. There wasn't much point.

"I am not inclined to go on dates with children."

The boy actually managed to look offended at that.

"I'm not a child! We met at a bar, remember?"

"A bar you obviously got into with the use of a fake ID and a hefty bribe. Do not attempt to lie to me. It will only raise my ire."

Tony pouted, sending a glare his way before finally giving in.

"I'm seventeen."

Loki's eyebrows rose because he hadn't actually been expecting that. He'd thought the other was merely a young-looking nineteen year old.

"Yet you go to MIT?"

Tony lifted his chin defiantly.

"I'm a genius, child prodigy, whatever." It would have been impossible to miss the bitterness in his voice and Loki quickly reassessed his view of the young man. "I graduated high school at fourteen and I've already got two Master's degrees. I'll have a Doctorate's by the time summer rolls around. And I'm the head of MIT's robotics team. You want my chess resume, too?"

The anger slipping through Tony's façade fascinated Loki. He'd hid it so well before yet had broken easily under the correct stimulus. Bad idea or no, it had been a long time since anyone had managed to catch Loki's attention in such a way. He tipped his head to one side thoughtfully.

"I don't think that shall be required, no." Loki took a long sip of his tea. "Your achievements mean little to me. Awards and placards are but junk to fill space. The intellect that you put behind them, though…I must admit I find myself intrigued by that."

Tony didn't quite seem to know what to do with that.

"Umm…thanks?"

"Do not thank me. I was simply stating a fact. It occurs to me now that you are quite unlike your peers."

Tony snorted.

"Yeah. Ain't that the truth."

"Yet for all your intellect you refuse to take my no for an answer."

"I'm used to being underestimated. You've written me off because of my age and what you think you know about me." His defiance was back in spades. "I think you'll find I might surprise you."

Loki had to suppress a grin.

"Very well, then. Does this Friday work for you? Perhaps at seven?"

Tony looked shocked and glanced around almost as though Loki might have been speaking to someone else.

"Are you saying yes?"

"To one date," Loki clarified. "And I expect to be surprised."

Tony's face broke into a huge grin.

"Done! I can do that! I can totally do that!" He seemed to have to fight back the urge to jump out of his chair. "There's this great Italian place on Main. You know it?"

.

..

…

..

.

Loki didn't know what he'd been thinking. The only thing he could possibly blame for him making such a terrible decision on was the fact that he'd been so tired during his conversation with Tony. That had to be it, surely. It couldn't possibly be anything else. The moment he'd woken up the next morning, he'd resolved not to go on Friday. He'd even booked himself a job for Saturday. He'd spent the rest of Wednesday strong in that resolution yet here it was at 6:53 Friday night and he was standing outside of Sugo's, waiting for Tony to show up.

He actually hadn't known the restaurant when Tony had suggested it. He didn't spend much time going out when he was at home. Mostly, he just ordered in from the Chinese place near his house or actually cooked. It was surprisingly upscale for what he would have expected a college student to have picked. If it were someone else, he might have been suspicious that this date was just a way to get a free meal. Tony didn't seem like that, though. He didn't seem like the kind of person who would be interested in a scam like that.

"You came!"

It was obvious that the young man was actually surprised by Loki's presence. He was dressed in slacks and a dress shirt of his own, complete with a red tie and a light jacket. His hair even looked as though he had attempted to wrestle it into some form of submission. It hadn't worked out very well and Loki reached out as soon as Tony was within reach to ruffle it back into its former glory of a mess.

"I said I would."

Tony didn't even complain about having his hair messed with, just leaned into the touch.

"I know. But I wasn't sure if that was just a way to get rid of me or something."

Clearly, someone in Tony's life had treated him poorly for quite some time. Loki refused to draw the parallels between that and his own experiences with Odin.

"You would have simply shown back up at my coffee shop, I'm sure. Besides, I am curious to see what you have in store."

Tony perked up like a puppy whose owner had just grabbed the leash. He held out his elbow for Loki to take and, feeling amused despite himself, Loki accepted being led inside the restaurant. Tony marched them right up to the hostess station.

"I have a reservation."

The girl could have easily been one of Tony's classmates and she looked them both up and down skeptically.

"Name?"

"John Doe."

Loki couldn't help but roll his eyes. Honestly, could Tony have picked a more obviously fake name? Still, he said nothing as they were led through the restaurant and into a small room in the back. There were a few other empty tables aside from the one they were sat at, but Loki doubted they would be seeing any other patrons while they were there. Water and wine were already on the table, along with a basket of bread. Loki glanced around as they settled in.

"John Doe? Really?"

Tony actually managed to look a bit sheepish.

"I don't like using my real name if I don't have to for this kind of thing. It tends to attract the wrong kind of attention."

Well, that was certainly enough to catch Loki's attention.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to explain."

His mind immediately jumped to all the major crime families that he knew of. It didn't even have to be a crime family. Drug cartels, trafficking rings, weapons smuggling; any of them would more than warrant the 'wrong kind' of attention.

"I'm Tony Stark."

Loki froze.

"As in the Tony Stark who published that paper on the long-term effects of heavy recoil in rifles on the soft tissue of the shoulder? That Tony Stark?"

"Ummm…yes? You've actually heard of that paper?"

"You revolutionized the field of long-range firearms, not to mention to methods used to treat those exposed to them. It's had a huge impact of the medical field."

He tacked on the last part even though he wasn't entirely sure it was true. It wasn't exactly like he could tell Tony what he really did. Best to stick with the cover story he'd given the rest of the world.

"You're a doctor, then?"

Loki snorted before managing to smother his laughter.

"I'm a sales person. I'm a senior accounts manager for the Peacehope Corporation."

Tony's face lit up in recognition.

"SI has done some work with them! They make good stuff."

Loki took a sip of his wine to put off having to answer and was instantly distracted.

"Does this have plum in it?"

Tony's chest practically puffed out in pride.

"It adds a deeper, richer flavor. You like it?"

"Actually, yes. I must confess I'm not normally a wine drinker. This, though…I would drink this."

"Volstagg said you preferred your drinks a bit sweeter. Plus, this will actually pair well with dinner, so…"

"Sif and Volstagg? Have you colluded with all of Thor's friends to woo me?"

"In my defense, they were more than willing to hand out just about anything I wanted to know."

Loki heaved a sigh.

"Yes, that sounds like them."

"In _their_ defense, they were pretty drunk."

That drew forth a chuckle.

"That also sounds like them. At the moment, though, I must confess that I am far more interested in learning more about you. I have known them for most of my life and, given what you have just revealed, I feel as though you have me at a disadvantage. How am I to compete if you have all this information about me yet I have so little about you?"

"Well, um, I'm at MIT, obviously. My favorite color is red and I'm pretty sure I could live off of cheeseburgers. I dunno. What are you interested in hearing?"

The phrasing caught Loki's attention more than the actual question. It paid in his line of work to be able to read body language and syntax. Whether Tony actively realized it or not, he was trying to answer in ways that he though Loki would like best. It sent a perverse kind of thrill through the older man. Tony was trying to tailor make himself to Loki's interest. That knowledge was kind of…intoxicating.

"What do you want to do when you grow up?"

Because he, more than Tony, needed a reminder that the other was still young and it was more than just that fact that made him off-limits.

"I'm the only child of Howard Stark. I'm taking over Stark Industries."

Loki gave a little sideways nod.

"You would certainly be quite proficient at it." He noticed the minute twitch of Tony's expression. "Is that what you want, though?"

The young man blinked at him in surprise.

"You know, I don't think anyone's ever asked me that before."

"That is hardly an answer."

Tony's face scrunched up, his nose wrinkling as he seemed to consider the thought.

"I don't know? I mean, that's the only option I've ever had. Nothing else is even a consideration."

"Surely there are others who could take over when your father is ready to retire and someone with your intellect wouldn't have a problem finding employment in just about any field you chose."

Tony shook his head.

"No way. I'm Howard's _legacy._ Trust me, he's made it very clear exactly which path I'm expected to take."

"And here I thought you weren't one for doing what others expected of you."

Tony looked at him for a long moment before dropping his gaze and shrugging his shoulders.

"You haven't met my dad."

Loki scowled, mostly because he understood Tony's expression just a little too well. He hardly needed to meet Howard Stark to know exactly what kind of father he was if these were the reactions he garnered from his son.

"Very well. Let us speak of other things, then. Tell me more about this robotics team of yours."

Tony was off like a shot, enthusiastically talking about all the various projects his team was working on. By the time their food arrived, apparently Tony had pre-ordered for them, this had led into him talking about the AI he was designing as part of his Doctoral thesis.

"He's very basic at the moment, of course. The programming isn't anywhere near where I'd want it to be, but it'll take time to refine the code to where I need it to be. His chassis won't be too complicated, either. I'm routing the fiber optics through tubing to protect them from damage due to movement but I still don't want to push it too far. Losing the input of the camera would be devastating. It's that ability to interact real-time with the surrounding environment that really sets DUM-E apart. Or will once I'm done with him. Plus he'll have a learning function so he'll only improve from whatever baseline intelligence I set for him."

Loki couldn't help but lick his lips as Tony talked. He had always found intelligence far more attractive than any physical attributes, after all. The way Tony's excitement lit up his face was downright beautiful to see. It called to Loki, made his want to know how the boy's face would flush if Loki were buried deep inside of him, how his expression would twist if Loki swallowed him down to the hilt. How much would Tony be able to take? How far would it be possible for Loki to push him before he broke? Apparently the young man caught sight of Loki's staring because he clammed up, ducking his head and fidgeting.

"Sorry. I tend to get carried away sometimes."

As much as Loki hated to admit it, Tony actually looked rather adorable hunched in on himself. He was like a small rabbit attempting to hide itself from a fox in the middle of an open field. Loki really should stop comparing him to tiny woodland creatures if he didn't want to get attached. Without thinking, the green-eyed man reached across the table to take hold of Tony's hand.

"You should never apologize for your passion. To anyone." Tony's eyes were huge as he gazed up at Loki, seemingly stunned by his words. "Is Tony short for anything?"

"Anthony." The response was immediate. "Anthony Edward Stark."

Loki smiled as his let their fingers thread together. He'd always had a weakness for vulnerability in others. He could, perhaps, allow this boy in for one evening. He wouldn't sleep with him, of course. That brought too many complications along with it, but he could still enjoy himself.

"Anthony. I like it. It means priceless." He hummed a bit and let his eyes skate across the boy's form. "It suits you well."

Anthony gaped at him, color rising in his cheeks as he blushed. Loki was pretty sure his own smile was at least somewhat predatory.

"I, uh, thanks."

Loki's grin widened, morphing into something that was all teeth.

.

..

…

..

.

Loki should have known that Anthony would figure him out. It hadn't taken the young man ten minutes to notice the effect he was having and it was like a switch and been flipped. Suddenly he was all wide eyes and looking up through his lashes. He bit his lip until it was bright with the abuse. The fact that Loki knew he was doing it on purpose did absolutely nothing to lessen the effect it was having on him. It was a struggle to keep his arousal from taking too strong of a hold. He was both relieved and disappointed when the end of their meal finally came around.

"May I walk you to your car?"

Anthony kept his voice soft, his tone nervous, but Loki could see the truth there mixed in with the act.

"You may," he allowed, "but you must answer a question in exchange."

He turned and headed toward his car, knowing that Anthony would follow.

"You've been asking me questions all night. What's different about this one?"

"It might be a bit harder for you to answer and I demand that it be answered with the absolute truth."

Anthony's expression grew nervous, but he didn't back down.

"Alright. Ask away."

"Of everyone in that bar, why did you pick me?" Because he honestly wanted to know. "You admitted yourself that you don't ask people out, yet you not only pursued me, but you did so with a single-minded tenacity that bordered on obsessive. That isn't the kind of effort you put in for someone you think is attractive from across the room."

He slid his eyes over to the younger man, but it seemed Anthony was determined not to meet his gaze.

"You are attractive, actually," he managed to force out. "Very much so. That's what caught my attention at first, but lots of people are attractive, I guess. There's just, and I'm trying really hard not to sound like a thirteen year old girl here, but there's just something different about you. Most people get so absorbed in what they're doing. I'm guilty of it, too. I mean, put me in front of a project and you'll have to bodily drag me away to eat or sleep. You were scanning the room, though. You watched and listened and _learned._ It kept drawing my attention back to you."

"And that is why you approached our table?"

"Nah." A grin tugged at the other's lips. "That was all for Rhodey. He's always crushin' on the ladies but he never wants to talk to them. It's up to me to make sure he learns how."

Loki chuckled, spotting his car up ahead and pulling his keys out of his pocket.

"I hope you realize nothing will come of it. Despite him being completely oblivious, she has eyes only for Thor."

"Oh, yeah. Don't worry. I figured that out. Good practice, though, and it gave me an excuse to be able to talk to you."

"Is this the part where I find out how I charmed you so?"

He spoke teasingly, but Anthony's eyes dropped, his fingers twisting the hem of his jacket.

"You were funny." His voice was quiet. "You used sarcasm like you were born for it and you were _smart._ It was so obvious that you were comfortable with yourself and confident in your own skin and I can't even begin to tell you how fucking sexy that is. I've met a million people who are so self-confident that it oozes right out of them, but they're always pompous and arrogant. You weren't like that. It was like," he seemed to struggle to find the right words, "it was like they used to talk about old royalty. You treated your chair like a throne and you were above everyone else because that was where you were born to be. You were just so…regal. I dunno. I don't think I'm explaining this very well."

It was stunning, actually, to hear someone talk about him that way. He, of course, was comfortable with himself. There had been a long struggle when he'd first found out he was adopted but that had worked itself out over the years. Loki just hadn't ever thought that anyone noticed. He was much more used to no one paying him any mind at all. That was part of what made him so good at his job.

Anthony was glancing up at him through his lashes again, though there was nothing contrived about the action this time. It wasn't born from calculation, but from true trepidation and nerves. Despite his best judgement, Loki caught him by the chin and raised his face up to peer directly into those honey-colored eyes. They stayed silent for a long moment, Anthony seeming to barely dare to breath. He was trembling, ever so slightly, and his tongue darted out to leave his lips shiny and inviting.

"Well," Loki pressed himself just a little bit closer, their bodies sharing warmth, "let me say that this evening was quite unexpected."

He pressed their lips together, meaning to keep it chaste before pulling away. He would have to let Anthony down gently at some point, after all. No matter how appealing he might be, he was also high profile, underage, and clever enough to make himself a problem. Loki wouldn't be able to hide what he really did from him forever, considering his curiosity about everything. Plus he had that job in the morning that would require him crossing state lines. Anthony seemed to have other plans, though, as he let out a tiny little whimper. It was desperate and needy and knocked every last bit of sense right out of Loki's head.

He pushed the younger man up against the side of his car, trapping the smaller body with his own. His hands settled on Anthony's hips as he plundered the mouth attached to his own. Anthony gave easily to his control, following his lead with only the slightest provocation. He wasn't overly skilled, but that only fueled Loki's fire more. It was the noises he was making that really made a difference, though, the mewling and gasping and soft moans that were cut off by their lips. Loki moved away from the younger man's mouth, trailing kisses along his jaw and then down to nip and suck at his neck. Anthony tipped his head back without prompting, rolling his hips to press his erection against Loki's thigh.

"Lo-!"

His desperate cry was all it took to seal his fate. Loki pulled away with great effort, taking only a moment to admire the body flushed and panting against his car.

"Get in," he demanded gruffly and Anthony scrambled to obey.

It was only minutes to Loki's apartment, but he didn't remember a single moment of the drive. It didn't hit him what he was doing until his car was parked and they were out in the cool air once again. Anthony followed at his heel like a well-trained pup, not saying a word but eyes darting around to take everything in. The silence prevailed until Loki got his door unlocked and they stepped across the threshold. The young man seemed intent on looking at anything but him.

"I'm not backing out or anything," he began, the words seeming rushed, "and I am absolutely, one hundred percent on board with where this seems to be heading, but I just…I haven't exactly ever done anything like…this. Before."

Loki froze, hand still hovering over the small bowl where he dropped his keys. He turned very slowly to look at Anthony.

"You've never been with a man before?"

Even in the darkness of his apartment, Loki could see his blush.

"Never been with anyone, actually…And, um, I get it, if that's, like, a turn-off to you, or something. I can go, if you wan-"

He never got to finish as Loki yanked him forward, pressing their lips together again. There was a moment as he continued trying to talk but his words were smothered as Loki took the boy's bottom lip between his own teeth and nibbled on it. Pale hands trailed down Anthony's back, one settling at the lowest curve of his spine and the other creeping low to ghost over the globes of his ass. His virgin ass. Loki purred with delight.

As if Anthony hadn't been nearly too good to be true already, to find that he was unspoiled was just exhilarating. It meant that Loki would always hold that part of him, would always possess him in at least that small way. The fire of that knowledge burned in his gut, exciting him further. Anthony's fingers curled into the fabric covering Loki's biceps like it was the only thing keeping him standing. He trembled in Loki's arms and the green-eyed man only felt himself harden more because of it. Oh, he was going to wreck this boy.

"If you attempt to leave right now, I am not entirely sure what I would do."

All the attitude he'd seen that first night was suddenly back as Anthony smirked up at him, apparently more confident now that he knew his confession wasn't going to get him kicked out.

"Is that a threat?"

Loki slipped the tips of his fingers into the waistband of Anthony's pants. He knew his own eyes must be nearly glowing in the dim light. It was an effect he'd used to terrify Thor many times in their youth. Now, though, Anthony seemed mesmerized by them. The younger man's pupils were blown so wide with desire that he only had the barest hint of golden brown around the rim.

"That depends," he purred. "Would you like it to be?"

Anthony groaned and let his head fall forward to rest his forehead against Loki's chest.

"Holy shit," he breathed. "You haven't even _done_ anything yet."

Loki chuckled.

"Come, let us take this somewhere more comfortable and then, I assure you, I will do _many_ things."

He didn't seem at all inclined to argue and followed Loki eagerly through his small apartment to the bedroom in the back after they each toed off their shoes in the foyer. It was only Loki here, after all. He didn't need that much space, and it was nice. Just because he was only twenty-six didn't mean he had to live in a dump. He made plenty enough to pay for it. If he'd truly wanted to, he could easily enough afford to buy a moderately-sized house. Of course, then he might actually have to explain where his money was coming from. Bank loans were such pesky things.

His bedroom was all dark, hardwood furniture. The walls were the same bland, neutral tone they were when he moved in but he'd put a few pieces of art around to liven the place up. Anthony seemed to be taking it all in, cataloguing every piece of Loki's life in case it would come in handy later on. Dangerous, indeed. No doubt it would be for the best if young Anthony remained suitably distracted for the remainder of the evening.

He moved in behind the younger man, trailing his hands over clothed hips before wrapping his arms around Anthony's waist and pulling him close. He used his chin to nudge the genius's head to the side before turning him attention to the column of flesh the motion exposed to him. He relished in Anthony's reactions to his nibbles and kisses for a time before pulling back to admire his handiwork. What was only a spattering of faint red marks now would be dark bruises come morning. Anthony would have little trouble remembering this night in the weeks to come.

"If at any time you wish you stop you will tell me, do you understand?"

Loki's tone left no room for argument. Tease though he might, even a man like himself had to have some sort of moral code. Statutory rape he could handle, but he would never take someone against their will. He did not, after all, want Anthony to regret this night.

"Don't stop. I absolutely don't want you to stop."

He grinned at the desperation in Anthony's tone. It was beautiful to know he garnered such a reaction from the other.

"Very well."

His lips returned to their ministrations upon Anthony's neck as his hands worked to pull the genius's shirt from his pants. Tan hands immediately flew up to begin unbuttoning it. Loki rewarded his eagerness by rolling his hips against the other's rear. He wanted the boy to know exactly how much he was enjoying this particular turn of events. While Anthony continued to work on his shirt buttons, Loki quickly unfastened his belt and trousers. He could feel Anthony's own erection straining against the zipper as he pulled it down. He palmed the bulge and was delighted at the mewl and bucking of hips he got in response. He chuckled into Anthony's ear.

"Eager, are we?"

Hot puffs of air hit the side of his neck as Anthony squirmed, looking for more contact. Loki wanted to eat him alive.

"Please!"

"Please? Please what?"

"Fuck!" Anthony's entire frame jerked as Loki wrapped his fingers more firmly around his still-clothed member. "Anything!"

Loki nipped at the younger man's ear, sucking the lobe of it into his mouth briefly.

"Tell me what you want, Anthony."

"You," he panted, nearly begging. "I want you."

Loki was practically grinding into him by this point, but it was the only sign that he wasn't completely in control of himself.

"I'm afraid you'll need to be more specific, dear."

"I want-I want you to open me up and f-fuck me." Loki couldn't tell if his slight stutter was from nerves or desire, and he honestly didn't care. "I want you inside of me, Lo."

A vicious growl tore itself from somewhere deep in Loki's chest and he twisted Anthony around, all but throwing him onto the older man's bed. He stalked after his prey, eyes riveted on the helpless creature. He grabbed the waistband of Anthony's pants and underwear to pull them off in one go. One of his socks went with them. Then Loki was sliding up Anthony's body, all but pinning him under his own mass. He trailed kisses up the young man's stomach and across his collar bones before finally claiming his lips once again.

"That," he purred darkly, "I can do."

He pushed Anthony's shirt down his arms, letting the boy shuck it the last of the way as he pulled off the other's tie. Once he was fully undressed, Loki leaned back on his heels to admire the body splayed out in front of him. Anthony's hair was wild, his eyes dark. His cheeks were flushed prettily and it trailed down his neck before finally fading. He wasn't defined, but Loki could tell there were still muscles under his soft exterior. Still, all of it paled in comparison to the hard cock hanging heavy between the teen's legs. It wasn't overly long, but it was thick. The dark curls surrounding it framed the member beautifully, making it stand out all the more. Loki couldn't help but lick his lips at the sight.

"Loki," Anthony whined, thrusting his hips upwards just the barest amount.

It was so obvious he was desperate for contact and Loki was more than happy to give it to him. The green-eyed man wrapped one long-fingered hand around the other's cock and gave it a tug, making Anthony throw his head back and moan. Loki slid backwards, letting himself settle on the floor between Anthony's spread knees. He swallowed the younger man down in one go, not giving him any time to prepare himself.

"Gah-!"

Anthony jerked as he choked off his own noise of shock. His hands flew to Loki's hair, fingers twining through the long locks but thankfully not pulling. Loki held himself down, breathing in the musk of the younger man through his nose and refusing to move just yet. He swallowed around the cock in his throat just once and reveled in the way it made the muscles in Anthony's thighs jump. Hollowing his cheeks, he sucked the entire way back up until he only had the head in his mouth and twirled his tongue around it a few times before withdrawing again.

There was only a brief reprieve for Anthony before Loki sank down again, licking and sucking in earnest. The young man writhed beneath him and Loki could feel his own hair coming loose from its ponytail to fall freely around his face as Anthony's hands clenched and unclenched in his locks. Loki reached back to tug off the band that held it contained. Having hair in his face might be inconvenient, but it was far better than tangles. He'd learned that from experience.

Once his hair was no longer restrained, Loki moved the hand to grasp Anthony's balls, rolling them about in his hand and feeling the weight of them. With a hum of approval he released the young man's cock and licked his way down to take the sac in his mouth. He pumped the neglected member as his tongue laved Anthony's balls with attention. The genius himself was nearly arching right off the bed as he squirmed. His voice filled the room with ecstasy as every note sent a spike of arousal straight to Loki's crotch.

"You are glorious," he murmured into Anthony's hip before biting down and, oh, was it incredible to watch how well the boy responded to pain. "So beautiful."

He kissed his way back down to the Anthony's cock and accepted it into the wet warmth of his mouth once again. Loki knew he was good at sucking cock, had learned the skill early on in his various dalliances and excelled as he did with anything he actually put effort into learning. He hadn't sucked a wide variety of cock, but Anthony was easily his favorite. The velvety smooth texture of the skin under his tongue, the soft noises of arousal, the thickness promising that his jaw would be sore come morning. He wondered how large the boy's cock would be in a few more years, once he fully grew into himself. Would it stretch his lips to have them wrapped around the member? Would he be able to fit it down his throat?

He moaned at the thought and Anthony's hips jerked violently. It was clear that the younger man was close to the edge. Loki doubled his efforts, hallowing his cheeks and bobbing his head at increasing speed. He ran his hands up and down Anthony's thighs, feeling the muscles tighten more and more beneath his fingers. He hummed in appreciation and it was like the floodgates had opened. Anthony barely had time to give a shout of warning before he was spilling into Loki's mouth, the older man swallowing it all down with ease. He pulled back only when it seemed that the last pulse was finished, licking Anthony clean as he went. The younger man's fingers slid from his hair, arms falling limply to his sides.

"Holy shit," he rasped between panting breaths. "Are you some kind of sex god or something? I feel like you just sucked my soul out through my cock."

Loki chuckled as he rose and settled on the bed next to Anthony, removing his own shirt as he went.

"Hardly. Should I be the god of anything, I am sure I could find something much more interesting that mere sex."

Anthony's laugh was bright and infectious. Loki felt a smile creeping onto his own face at the sound. He reached out to trail the tips of his fingers lazily across Anthony's abdomen. He knew it would only be a minute at most before the boy was ready to go again. Such was the blessing of a teenager. Even being only nine years older, Loki couldn't recover from an orgasm that fast.

"I'm not sure there was anything about _that_ I would call 'mere.'"

Loki hummed noncommittally and leaned in for a kiss, knowing Anthony would be able to taste himself on his tongue.

"And yet we have not even gotten to the main even, yet. You did ask me to fuck you, after all, and I fully intend to fulfill that particular desire."

It took only a quick glance down to determine exactly how Anthony felt about the situation. His cock was half-hard already, making Loki's smile turn into a smirk. He shuffled the boy further onto his bed before reaching across him to grab the lubricant out of his bedside drawer. He couldn't have Anthony going in there for it. He'd spot the 9mm in an instant. Popping the cap, he squeezed some out onto his fingers.

"This is going to feel a bit odd at first, I must warn you, but I'll go slowly."

Anthony shifted a bit to spread his legs wider, even as a bit of nervous tension clouded his expression.

"Will it hurt?"

He was using those big eyes again, the ones he knew drew Loki in like a moth to the flame.

"Your muscles will have to stretch to accommodate me, so there will be a slight burn. You needn't worry about pain so long as you are properly prepared."

Loki captured his lips in another kiss then, distracting him as he let his fingers trail down between the youth's legs. He parted Anthony's cheeks easily, the tip of his finger circling the bundle of muscles that quivered at his touch. Anthony tensed beneath him in preparation for the intrusion.

"Shhh…No need for that. I've got you. All you need to do is relax. Can you do that for me, Anthony? There you go, such a good, good boy."

He hadn't meant to let that last bit slip out, but hoped Anthony was distracted enough by his first finger sinking into the heat of his hole that the young man wouldn't notice. The sensation of warmth wrapped so tightly around his middle finger was almost enough that Loki himself forgot exactly what his concern was with the phrasing. He couldn't even be quite sure which of them the moan came from. His head dropped to tuck into the curve between Anthony's shoulder and neck and he lavished the area with kisses.

After a long moment he began moving his finger slowly in and out of the sweet abyss into which it sank. He allowed Anthony to adjust to the feeling before adding in a second digit, introducing the first hint of stretch. The young man gasped and squirmed, though Loki couldn't quite tell if he was trying to get away or push himself further down onto the fingers. He wasn't even sure if Anthony himself new the answer. He trailed kisses up the young man's neck, murmuring endearments into tan skin.

"Look at you, so gorgeous, so perfect. You respond _beautifully,_ dear, like an instrument I've been learning to play my entire life. Watch, how if I do this," he twisted his fingers to brush over a bundle of nerves that made Anthony's hips jerk off the bed, "it's almost as though you're my puppet, responding to every little command with just the twitch of a finger."

Anthony was fully hard again, precum dripping down his cock. He was gasping for air, hands grasping for purchase in the sheets beneath him. Somehow, he found the strength to surge forward and pull Loki into a harsh kiss, showing off everything he'd apparently learned earlier in the evening. When he pulled away, his eyes were dark with desire.

"Fuck this shit. I need you in me. Now."

Loki wiggled his fingers, making the youth gasp and moan.

"Why, Anthony, I was under the impression that I was _already_ in you."

The youth's growl sounded downright feral and Loki raised an eyebrow in response.

"If you don't get those pants off and shove your cock up my ass in the next thirty seconds, I swear to god I'll rip them off myself."

"If I go in now, it will hurt."

Tony snorted.

"Like that's anything new. C'mon, Lokes! I can handle a bit of pain. I'm used to it."

The older man frowned down at him, displeased by the tiny sliver of a confession that statement hinted at. He struck like lightning, grabbing Anthony's hands and yanking them above his head. He pinned them with one hand as the other traveled back down to push inside the younger man's body once more. They thrust in firmly, just enough for him to prove a point. That he was the one in control.

"No."

His tone brokered no argument, but it seemed like Anthony didn't get that message. He struggled in Loki's grip, though his legs stayed spread obscenely wide.

"What do you mean 'no'?"

Loki leaned over the man, his dark hair falling to frame his face. He demanded the genius's full attention as he spoke.

"If I hurt you, it will not be because you can 'handle' it, do you understand me? Any pain I cause you is meant only to augment the pleasure I will also give you. Rest assured, you will have bruises come morning, but I shall be giving them on my terms." Anthony gulped, throat convulsing and eyes wide. "Do you understand me?"

The boy stared up at his with wide eyes until Loki had to shake him just a bit to get an answer.

"Yes," he gasped out, but that wasn't good enough. Loki was too far gone.

"Yes, what?"

Confusion entered the youth's expression and he hesitated for a moment before answering.

"Yes, sir?"

Loki purred, warmth blooming in his chest. He bent to kiss Anthony softly, savoring the taste of the younger man.

"That's right. Now, I'm going to open you up nice and slow. I'm going to drive you to the edge and I am going to hold you there, but I am not going to hurt you. The only thing you feel from this point onwards tonight if pleasure. There may come a point when you feel like it's too much, but just remember _I have you._ Nothing will happen to you that I do not intend to happen to you. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir."

The answer came easily this time, and Loki could feel the way Anthony relaxed just a bit. It was glorious. He reveled in the trust, the submission. It was everything he ever could have wanted.

"You're perfect. Never let anyone convince you otherwise."

He pressed another kiss to Anthony's lips before turning his attention to doing exactly as he had promised. His fingers worked in and out of the younger man's hole, loosening it up with each thrust. Loki curled them to brush against Anthony's prostate, but refused to add enough pressure for him to cum just yet. No. He wouldn't cum until Loki was buried inside of that delectable heat of his. Just because Loki wasn't going to cause him pain didn't mean that he wouldn't still make the young man suffer.

He praised Anthony every step of the way, calling him every endearment he could think of as he lavished his body with attention. Loki sucked one of the younger man's nipples into his mouth as he added a third finger. Judging by the noises Anthony was making, the nub was particularly sensitive. Loki was sure to make a mental note of it.

"Oh, God! Loki, Loki, please! I'm ready! Please!"

Loki tsked, but it was mostly for show. Anthony was still gloriously tight, but his fingers were sliding in and out of his body with ease. Loki had length, but his cock wasn't as thick as the younger man's. He supposed they suited their respective frames well.

"Bad boy, Anthony," he chastised teasingly. "Who did I say would be making the decisions this evening?"

A full-body shudder ran through the young man's frame.

"You, sir."

"That's right. So who is it that decides when you're ready?"

Anthony's eyes squeezed shut before he opened them and locked in on Loki's gaze once more.

"You, sir."

"And if I say that you aren't ready?"

"Then I'm not, sir."

In any other situation, Loki might have clapped his hands from sheer delight. He placed a quick kiss to the tip of Anthony's nose instead before pulling his fingers out of the young man's hole.

"Luckily for you, you are right in this instance."

Anthony could not have looked more shocked if Loki had confessed he was the king of France. It made Loki chuckle all over again, which was a rare thing. It seemed Anthony truly was a singular creature. With reluctance, the older man drew away. He shed his pants without preamble, just as eager to fuck the gorgeous being laid out across his bed as that being was to be fucked. Honey-colored eyed were riveted on his cock the moment it was exposed. Loki gave it a few strokes almost lazily.

"Enjoying the view?"

"Yes. Yes, sir." Anthony's gaze finally lifted, eyes hopeful. "Are you going to fuck me now?"

Loki crawled back onto the bed, all but prowling toward his prey. He gave him a gentle peck on the lips before grabbing for the lube.

"Yes, Anthony. That's exactly what I'm going to do."

He squeezed out a bit more of the lube and coated his cock generously with the substance. Loosened up through he was, Anthony's first time could no doubt use all the help it could get. The young man watched every movement as though enraptured but Loki could see the trepidation lingering in his eyes.

"Don't worry," he soothed. "I've got you, remember?"

Anthony nodded, but couldn't seem quite able to get his voice to work. Loki gave him a pass just this once. Instead, he lined himself up between Anthony's legs and guided his cock toward the puckered hole that practically begged him to fill it. Anthony gasped at the first hint of pressure, but settled quickly once Loki placed a hand on his abdomen. The older man pushed in slowly, rocking a bit with each inch to ease his way inside. The heat around him was like a vice grip that threatened to steal away every last scrap of his sanity. He fought to remain in control, to stop himself from just plunging onward and destroying his prize.

For his part, Anthony threw his head back and moaned throatily, the sound going straight to Loki's cock. It twitched at the sound and Loki had to close his eyes for a long moment before he was able to press forward. How was it even possible for Anthony to make him feel so unstable? He'd always had impeccable control but it seemed like Anthony threw all of that out of the window with hardly any effort at all. By the time he was fully seated in the youth, he himself was shaking. He leaned in for a sloppy kiss.

"You," he whispered softly against Anthony's lips, "are _incredible._ "

The only thing the teen managed to say in response was Loki's name, breathing it out like a prayer. Loki kissed the word from his lips as he slowly began to move. The older man rocked his hips slowly at first, only picking up pace when it garnered a positive response from the young man beneath him. It wasn't long before he was thrusting in and out of Anthony's hole with abandon. The genius moaned with each thrust, pushing back against him as though to get him deeper. Loki growled against his throat.

"Are you enjoying this, Anthony? Do you like getting fucked like this? My cock shoved up your ass just driving you wild?" The boy could only nod frantically in response. "You take it so well," Loki praised. "So tight and so hot. You feel amazing. Do you think you can cum off of just my dick inside you?"

"Yes, sir! Please, I want to cum so bad!"

"But you won't. Not until I let you."

Anthony's hands had found Loki's shoulders and he was hanging on for dear life. It seemed like he was simultaneously trying to pull Loki down on top of him and push up against him. His desire was written in every line of his body.

"Yes, sir."

Loki shifted, changing the angle of his thrusts ever so slightly so as to nail Anthony's prostate with each thrust. He knew he was close himself, but he'd drive Anthony over the edge first. It didn't take long for the boy to start begging again.

"Please, Loki! Please let me cum! Oh, God, I need to cum so bad! Please, sir!"

The green-eyed man grinned viciously and leaned in close so his mouth was right next to the boy's ear.

"Cum for me, Anthony."

Less than two thrusts later Anthony was spilling ropes of cum across their abdomens, his ass tightening enough to send Loki tumbling over into orgasm right along with him. The stayed frozen for a long moment before Loki slid to the side and collapsed beside the younger man, hands coming up to pet brown locks. He rose only once they both had their breathing back under control to fetch a damp wash cloth and clean the semen from them both.

Anthony was more than half asleep by the time he returned to bed and Loki smiled softly as he maneuvered the boy under the covers, watching him snuggle in and drop off to sleep. Loki stayed perched on the edge of the bed for a long while, just watching the boy. He was trouble, yes, but he was also too perfect to pass up. And Loki was selfish. He was pretty sure letting Anthony go now would drive him just a little bit mad. But that wasn't a problem for Loki to focus on just yet. He had a job to do and a long drive ahead of him if he wanted to get there on time.

.

..

…

..

.

It took Loki almost four hours exactly to get from Cambridge to New York City. Even without leaving Anthony until well after midnight that gave him plenty of time to find a perch and set up. He left his Prius several blocks away from the business his target ran and scaled a fire escape to access the roof. That was one of the things he loved most about New York, all the buildings were close enough together to make roof-travel a viable option. And no one ever looked up.

He settled in on the roof across the street from the pawn shop. He swung the case he was carrying off his back and set it aside, unbuckling to clasps and opening it to reveal a sleek, black rifle. The AR-15 was custom, with a suppressor nestled into the case right beside it. It wouldn't do much for the actual noise, just bring it down to a point where he could shoot without ear protection, but it would hide the flash of the gun going off and keep anyone from being able to identify where he was right off the bat. Of course, considering the neighborhood he was in he could probably make it out the city before the authorities even found out.

His eyes cast critically over the street below him, quickly finding the triangle taped to a 'No Parking' sign just six feet from the storefront. He'd had one of his contacts plant the flag the day before and now it would serve to tell him everything he needed to know about wind direction and speed. He settled down to wait, knowing that his target didn't keep any kind of set time schedule but that he would should up at some point during the day without fail. Apparently he liked to keep his employees on their toes.

First shift was a tired looking man in his early thirties, heavyset with severe balding. His plaid button up was untucked from his ratty jeans and it took him three tries to actually unlock the door to the shop in time for their 10AM opening. Customers were scarce. The lack of activity certainly did Loki no favors when it came to maintaining his focus, but he was a professional. He kept an eye on each new arrival to the area, checking their identity through his scope. No detail escaped his attention. Which was probably why he nearly jumped out of his skin when his phone went off sometime around two in the afternoon. He growled as he pressed the button on his blutooth headset to answer. There was really only ever one person who called him in the middle of the day.

"Thor, I swear to God if this is not vitally important you _will_ regret it."

"Oh, um…Sorry. Your note said I could call whenever and I had some time between classes and-Sorry."

"Anthony?"

"Yes?"

He sounded nervous, like he was expecting Loki to withdraw the invitation of contact.

"My apologies. I was distracted and didn't look at my phone before answering. I'm glad you found the note."

He'd left it on his own pillow so hopefully the boy would see it immediately upon wakening and not jump to the conclusion that he had been abandoned. That seemed like the kind of thing Anthony would do.

"It was kinda hard to miss." He sounded happier now and Loki grinned even as he moved his rifle to focus on the woman who had just walked around the end of the block. "I'm sorry you had to work this morning. I feel kinda bad."

"Nonsense. I made that choice and you were well worth it."

He could practically hear the way the boy perked up over the phone.

"Yeah?"

"Absolutely. As my note may have implied, I was hoping you might allow me to take _you_ for a date sometime soon."

"I'd like that. I'd like that a lot."

"Excellent. We can discuss details once I'm back in the area. I doubt my business here will take very long. How was your class this morning?"

Anthony groaned.

"Unexpected outcome of late-night sexy times? No time for coffee. Doesn't mix well with extremely boring lectures."

"You fell asleep? I do hope you didn't miss anything important."

"Nah. It's just Quantum Theory of Radiation Interactions. I've been doing that sort of stuff since I was, like, ten."

Right. Loki had almost managed to forget this was Howard Stark's son. As if to darken the moment even further, a car pulled onto the street he was watching and stopped in front of the shop. His target slid out from behind the wheel and headed for the door. Damn. No time to hang up or he'd miss the shot. His heart pounded in his chest, excitement running through him. Did he dare take that kind of a risk?

"Then I am glad it was of no loss to you."

Steady breathing, in and out. Glance over to check the flag. Adjust the angle. Sight the target.

"I'm working on testing out of it. Besides, I'd really like to never have to go to one of Professor Timble's lectures again if I can help it." Squeeze the trigger. Watch the blood splatter. "What was that?"

"Must've been the door. It shut a bit harder than I was expecting." Loki whirled away from the ledge, rapidly disassembling his rifle and packing it away. "Isn't it a bit late to be testing out of a class?"

He took off across the roof, careful not to let his breathing pick up and alert Anthony to the movement. The arousal he felt wasn't exactly making it any easier.

"Well, yeah, but they've let me do it before. How do you think I got all the way to two Masters and almost a Doctorates in three years?"

"I must confess I assumed you took an obscene amount of classes."

"Well, yeah. That, too. But they're mostly online so I can work on them whenever I want."

God, hearing Tony's voice in his ear, completely oblivious to the violence Loki had just committed was like a drug.

"I hope it goes well for you, then. Where are you now?"

"Just hanging out in my dorm room. Rhodey's got classes all day so he can't complain about me playing my music too loud while I work on DUM-E."

Loki chuckled as the fire escape came into sight. He grabbed hold and began making his descent, sliding down railings to speed things along.

"And you said you had a class this afternoon?"

"Yeah, in about two hours. Why?"

"Well, given your level of schooling I can only assume you are the type who enjoys learning. I was thinking perhaps I could give you a new experience."

"Yeah?" Anthony didn't seem to quite know what to think about that. "What kind of experience?"

Loki's feet hit the ground and he crossed to his car in moments, popping the trunk to throw his weapon inside.

"Phone sex, dear. If I hadn't had to work, this morning would have started with the two of us still in my bed long after we had awakened. It seems almost too sad to lose such an opportunity."

His erection ached as he slid behind the wheel of his car. He'd just _killed_ someone with Anthony's voice in his ear. He wasn't sure a more arousing act was even possible. On the phone, there was a beat of silence before Anthony spoke again.

"Yes, sir. I think I'd like that very much."

Oh, this boy was perfect, indeed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Holidays abound.

Loki was utterly addicted, he knew, and time only proved to make it worse. He hadn't let Anthony pay for a date since that first one and the genius's absolutely shocked reaction to the news had been every bit as amusing as it had been adorable. Of course, the boy had then immediately dropped to his knees in order to show Loki exactly how much he appreciated the gesture and that had been rather amazing as well. Before Loki even realized it August had turned to September and September into October.

"Lo!"

Loki looked up from his book with a smile, greeting Anthony with a peck on the lips as he slid the boy's red velvet latte toward him. Over Anthony's shoulder, Rhodey glowered.

"I finished up the sale early, thought I'd surprise you with coffee. May I get you something as well?"

He directed the question at Anthony's best friend, but the young man just continued to glower.

"I'll get it myself."

He stalked off toward the counter as Anthony slid into the booth at Loki's side, prompting the older man to wrap and arm around his waist.

"Sorry about that. Rhodey, he's…"

Anthony couldn't seem to find the right words but Loki didn't mind.

"Protective of you. I appreciate it. It makes me feel better about leaving you here when I have to go out of town. I like that there's someone here to look after you."

Anthony blushed prettily.

"I'm not sure whether to be flattered or indignant that I can look after myself."

Loki snorted.

"Please, dear, don't be ridiculous. We both know what happens when you're left unsupervised. I doubt my kitchen will ever recover."

"That was one time," Anthony protested, "and it was only a _small_ fire!"

"And my alarm clock that day was the fire alarm shrieking in my ear. I suppose we're lucky the fire department didn't show up."

Tony grumbled into his latte, but hummed happily when Loki leaned in to lick the foam from his upper lip.

"Well, _someone's_ in a good mood today."

"Big sale," Loki said with a grin.

The contract he'd been away working on for the past week had taken him to Canada and while it had paid handsomely, the separation from Anthony had been trying at best. Worse still, Loki had needed to keep his phone turned all the way off the entire time he was there to avoid his GPS being tracked. He'd had a burner, but calling Anthony and allowing himself to be tracked that way would have entirely defeated the purpose. He'd nearly lost his resolve more than once. In the end, he'd just jumped the gun a little bit and killed the target before he'd originally intended to. It had resulted in a few bruised ribs he'd have to explain away, but it was price well worth paying to be back with Anthony again.

"I missed you," the boy said as though he were reading Loki's mind.

"And I, you. This past week has left me ill at ease, I must admit."

He could practically see Anthony's warm-fuzzy feelings on his face.

"So no more long business trips?"

Loki kissed the side of his head, unable to resist.

"When it can be avoided." Tony whined, but the look on his face only made Loki chuckle. "You're adorable."

Rhodes dropped his backpack into the opposite booth much harder than necessary before sliding in after it.

"Do the two of you even realize you're in _public?_ "

Loki grinned at him while Anthony rolled his eyes.

"Oh, my God, Rhodey! Don't be such a prude."

If anything, the young man's glare only got darker.

"I'm not being a prude. _He's_ being a perv."

Loki moved his hand to Anthony's neck and massaged the muscles gently to forestall any argument.

"I assure you, Mr. Rhodes, that I bear Anthony no ill will, but I understand that it will take time for you to see that."

"Yeah. Sure."

"Well," he pressed another kiss to Anthony's lips, "I should probably head out. I just wanted to see you again now that I'm home. You'll call me after class?"

Anthony perked up again.

"Of course. I can come over tonight?"

Loki laughed at his eagerness.

"I'll swing by the store and get something to cook."

He'd learned rather quickly that Anthony relied far too much on take-out food to survive. Anything that belonged to Loki deserved better than that. Loki was very good about taking care of his possessions.

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The phone barely rang twice before it was picked up.

"Hey!"

"Anthony."

The boy hesitated.

"Yes?"

"Why is my computer attempting to talk to me?"

Silence.

"Anthony."

"BecauseIkindoftotallygaveyouanupgradewhichyourtotallyneededbecausethatthingwasafuckingdinasaurandIstillcan'tfigureouthowyousurvivedwithitforsolong."

It came out all in a tumbling rush and Loki closed his eyes to hold himself back from sighing.

"Try that again. Slowly."

"I upgraded your computer."

"Oh, is that what you call it? I see. And why can't I find anything?"

"Probably because you were working with Hammer technology which is all inferior _crap_ and the streamlined nature of SI software is boggling your mind by comparison."

Anthony actually sounded irritated, but Loki's mind stuttered to a halt.

"…Did you upload a military-grade operating system onto my personal laptop?"

"Yeah, well, you needed better security in your line of work."

Loki's mind flashed back to all of the times Anthony had been free to roam his apartment alone, either while Loki was still asleep or out to grab something. How many opportunities had there been for him to discover something he shouldn't? Loki had thought nothing had been disturbed, but what if Anthony was just good at covering his tracks? His breath caught in his chest. They'd only been seeing each other for a nearly three months now and it was too soon, _too soon,_ for Loki to fold and run. Anthony was _perfect._ Losing him would be devastating.

"Anthony," even he knew his voice sounded choked, "you can't-"

"I won't ask," the boy cut him off, "and I won't say anything. The less I know, the better, right? We don't talk about it. Ever. I don't care, okay? Whatever it is, I don't…I can't lose you."

It was probably just Anthony's teenage hormones getting to him, latching onto the man who had taken his virginity and shown him kindness. It was clearly apparent that wasn't something Anthony experienced very often and, as much as it boiled his blood to think about, Loki was grateful for it. He _wanted_ Anthony to need him, even if it was only for now. God, he already knew this was going to blow up in his face, had known it from the very beginning.

"You are…indescribable."

"I'm not stupid, you know. Did you really think I wouldn't figure it out? One of the first things I did was look at Peacehope's employee records. You weren't in there. Now you are."

"Never. I always knew you would. I just…I had hoped to put it off for as long as possible."

"You thought I would run to tell someone…"

Anthony sounded hurt, genuinely, and Loki couldn't fathom why.

"Any sane person would. I must confess I still feel the time clock in my head counting down for how long I have."

"Forever." Anthony's tone was firm, broking no argument. "You're safe with me."

"How can you-"

"Because I love you." There was a moment's pause. "And I know you'll probably just brush that off, too, but this isn't just some silly crush influenced by my age. I know the difference."

Loki felt the smile creeping onto his face. He didn't believe the boy. They hadn't been together long enough for him to develop such intense feelings yet, but he would take what he could get.

"I love you, too."

"Good, then you can be my date for the Halloween party this Saturday night."

It was Thursday.

"What?"

"I've already got your costume. Pick me up at eight?"

"Anthony, what exactly are you plan-"

"Oh! Look at that! Rhodey just got in! Gotta go! I'll see you Saturday!"

Loki glowered at his phone long after Anthony had hung up on him. He knew without a doubt that the genius wouldn't answer if he called back.

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Loki dutifully showed up at Anthony's dorm at precisely eight o'clock on Saturday night. He had only been to Anthony's campus once before to return the boy home but he remembered the way easily enough. He didn't stick out much, but it still made him a bit antsy being there. He didn't much like it. Rhodes answered the door, his usual grimace holding a touch more anxiety than usual. Loki's mental alarm bells went through the roof.

"Hey, come in. Tony's still in the showers. There was some delay with everyone getting ready but he'll be back any minute. I need to talk to you."

Cautious, Loki stepped into the room. The place was a mess, clothes and spare robotics parts strewn everywhere. It made the man cringe at the thought of living in such a mess, but he couldn't exactly be surprised by the state of the place. He crossed to the futon couch that doubled at Anthony's bed, moving aside a few papers and a textbook before settling on the cushion. He refused to let any of the nervousness coursing through him show on his face.

"And what, precisely, is it that you are wishing to discuss?"

Rhodes glowered and sent a furtive glance at the door before settling in his desk chair and crossing his arms. Tension ran through his entire body, leaving his sitting ramrod straight.

"I've got an exam in the morning so I won't be at the party tonight. I'm not a genius like Tones. I actually have to study to get the grades I do."

"Is this you giving me a warning to watch myself?"

"As much as I would _like_ to be that naïve about the relationship you two have," Rhodes grumbled, "I'm fully aware that it's way too late to campaign for Tony's 'virtue.' No," his gaze flickered to the side, "I want you to watch _him._ Tones has a way of finding trouble, like a fucking magnet, and this party's at Alpha Chi Omega Theta."

"I'm not sure I follow."

"Sunset Bane is part of that sorority. She's Stone's newest fling."

Loki's brow furrowed, his confusion finally slipping through his façade.

"What do they have to do with Anthony?"

"He hasn't told you?"

"Told me what?"

" _Nothing,_ " Anthony all but growled from the doorway as he glowered at them from under sopping wet hair, "because there's nothing to tell."

Loki rose slowly, forestalling any protests on Rhodes's part. He leveled Anthony with a long look, making the boy shift a bit uncomfortably.

"Anthony."

"Ty's an asshole, that's it! Not everyone is exactly thrilled about being in classes with somebody so much younger than they are and getting their asses totally schooled. Ty just happens to be one of those guys."

Loki scowled as he moved forward until he towered over the boy.

"Has he hurt you?"

"No!"

"Not yet, you mean! Tones, it's just a matter of time before that bastard tries to pull something." Rhodes was standing, too, all of a sudden and he turned on Loki as soon as it became clear Anthony was gearing up to be stubborn. "He threatened Tony before. Multiple times."

Cold fury curled in the pit of Loki's stomach.

"And you think he may attempt to carry through on these threats?"

"Stone's one seriously bad dude. I have no doubts."

"Well," Loki gave a grin that was all teeth, "he certainly won't be a problem tonight." His gaze slid back to Anthony. "You said you had a costume for me?"

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Despite what his family thought, Loki had never actually been to college. Well, except for that one semester that had ended terribly for everyone involved and gotten him into this whole contacting business in the first place. Needless to say, he hadn't spent much of that time partying it up with his classmates. As he accepted a beer from Anthony, he realized this might actually be the first college party he'd ever attended. He couldn't say he'd really been missing very much.

"Do you attend these very often?"

Anthony snorted into his own red solo cup.

"Not as often as most. Every couple of months, maybe." He grinned. "I like having the chance to unwind."

Loki raised an eyebrow at him, the golden chains and baubles hanging from his pirate captain's hat clinked together as he cocked his head to one side. The long coat Anthony had shoved him into fell heavy on his shoulders, but it was not an uncomfortable weight.

"And you have chosen to unwind tonight while dressed as some sort of soldier?"

Anthony looked absolutely affronted.

"I'm Steve Rogers, I'll have you know."

"Steve Rogers?"

"Yeah, you know, Captain America?"

Loki blinked.

"I don't think I ever knew his real name. Didn't he wear more of an actual costume? I was never much of a comic reader but I'm almost positive there were more tights involved."

"The comics were all a load of shit. My dad worked with Cap in the war. According to him pretty much all that stuff was made up, sensationalist crap. I'm pre-serum Steve anyway." His lips quirked in a distinctly self-deprecating way that Loki had become well-acquainted with. "It's the only one I could manage to pull off."

Loki reached a hand out to squeeze the back of Anthony's neck comfortingly.

"Well, I admit I know even less about Steve Rogers than I do about Captain America but I was never much of a fan of the whole idea of 'human perfection', if you will." He wrinkled his nose in distaste. "The idea that there would be any single form of human perfection is ridiculous. Now, come, aren't we supposed to be enjoying this party?"

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Loki hardly needed any reminding of why college hadn't worked out for him, much less why he continued to hate college students, but the party was doing a great job of it. Everything reeked, for one thing, of booze and sweat and sex. Every single person in the building was drunk to the point of excess except himself and Anthony, and Anthony only because he seemed to be following Loki's example when it came to the speed of his drinking. And, as if that weren't bad enough, the scantily-clad woman attempting to crawl her way into Loki's lap couldn't seem to understand the meaning of the word 'no.'

Anthony had gone to get another round of foul-tasting beer which was the only reason Loki's lap was even open to the invasion. With a sneer, the green-eyed man shoved the woman away yet again and rose to his feet. Ignoring her protests, he swept away in the direction Anthony had disappeared in. If he was going to be at this thrice-damned party then he at least wanted to keep Anthony at his side for the entirety of it. He was going to tie that boy to the headboard for making him come to this.

"What's that, kiddo? I couldn't quite make it out."

A taunting voice drew Loki's attention from through a cracked doorway. He didn't like the tone of it at all, and liked the scene he discovered after peeking inside even less. Anthony was half-knelt of the ground, one hand pressed to the side of his face. The man who stood over him was perhaps only a year or so younger than Loki himself with long, platinum blond hair. A woman with jet black hair stood off to the side, smirking.

"I _said,_ " Anthony spat, "that maybe if you spent more time studying instead of chasing every piece of tail that catches your eye then you might be able to actually pass a class without having to bribe the professor."

The blond man pulled his arm back to strike again and Loki pushed the door open, stepping across the threshold.

"Tiberius Stone, I take it? I wouldn't do that if I were you."

The man startled, but still managed to sneer as he turned around. Behind him, Anthony's face lit up.

"And who the fuck are you?"

"An interested party, you could say," Loki drawled as he inspected his fingernails. "Truly, though, I must insist you stop this behavior. Now and in the future."

Tiberius just laughed, clearly shifting as though to ready himself for a fight. Foolish.

"Yeah? And what are you going to do to stop me?"

Loki had to exert some serious effort to resist rolling his eyes. It only took a quick glance at Anthony to send the fury coursing through his veins all over again. He let his façade of bland disinterest drop like a rock as he glared sharply at the blond.

"You _really_ do not wish to fight me right now. I can assure you, you will not win."

This, of course, only seemed to piss the other off.

"You threatening me?"

"If I were threatening you, Mr. Stone," Loki said as he took a deliberate step forward, "I would tell you that it would bring me no greater joy than to drag you out into the living room for all your little friends to see and put your face through the glass coffee table there."

He could practically see the way Tiberius swelled with anger before the man rushed at him. He was sloppy, clearly had never seen training a day in his life, and dodging his punch was like child's play. In moments he was behind the blond, wrenching the other's arm painfully behind his back and taking hold of his neck in a vice-like grip.

"Well," he said with a smile, "looks like I'm going to be getting my wish after all. Come along, Anthony. I doubt we'll be staying much longer once this is through."

He didn't look back to see if the boy followed them as he marched the cursing Tiberius out of the room and back into the main area of the party. They garnered the attention of the party-goers immediately, the room hushing as more and more individuals turned to see what was happening.

"So many onlookers," Loki said with a grin, not bothering to lower his voice in the slightest. "I can see why you decided to drag Anthony into that back room, Mr. Stone. You certainly wouldn't have been able to get away with _beating_ him in front of all these people. Surely someone would have had an issue with it, as I did."

A murmur swept through the room and Loki glanced over his shoulder to catch sight of Anthony appearing, clutching one arm and limping as he held his head high to display the angry red mark on his cheek. Loki resisted the urge to smirk. He always did enjoy the way Anthony could pick up on exactly what he was thinking. Granted, the limp was a bit of overkill but who was Loki to spoil Anthony's fun?

"So tell me, do you often beat those weaker than yourself or is Anthony just special?"

Tiberius growled and tried to yank himself free again with little success.

"You piece of shit! Do you know who I am?"

Loki pulled his arm even higher so that he hissed in pain.

"I know exactly who you are, Mr. Stone. You are a man who takes pleasure if asserting your power over others, in making sure every person in the room knows you are superior. Most of all, though, you are _tedious_ and I find that I've grow tired of even this short interaction with you." He turned his attention back to the room at large. "Let this be an example for any who think to attack another without provocation. Karma, as they say, is quite the bitch."

And then he slammed Tiberius Stone's face into the glass coffee table, shattering it.

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They walked back to Anthony's dorm only so they could grab Loki's car. There was no way Loki was going to let the boy out of his sight. He kept an arm around him for the walk and a hand on the back of his neck during the drive. It was only once they were inside of Loki's apartment that he pulled the boy in for a tight embrace.

"Forgive me," he whispered, speaking for the first time since their departure from the party. "I should not have caused such a scene without your permission."

Anthony's arms squirmed up between them to wrap around Loki's shoulders, pulling him down a little bit further. Loki dropped his head onto Anthony's shoulder.

"I thought it was pretty awesome, actually. You kicked his _ass._ "

Loki chuckled a bit, but his heart wasn't in it.

"I wanted to do much worse."

Anthony worked his fingers into Loki's hair, sending his captain's hat tumbling to the floor.

"I've never had someone defend me like that. I mean, stand up for me, sure. Rhodey's done it a hundred times, but not like that."

"He should never have dared to touch you in the first place," Loki growled. "He should never have _dared._ "

His grip on Anthony tightened.

"Shhh…" the boy murmured, stroking his hair comfortingly. "It's alright. I'm here. I'm okay."

Loki lifted his head and tilted it so he could press a series of light kisses to Anthony's cheek. It would be swollen and bruised within the hour. It made Loki want to hunt Tiberius Stone down all over again and hand him a much worse fate.

"No one should have ever touched you. If anyone so much as threatens you-"

"Then I'll tell you. And you'll keep me safe."

Loki kissed him once more before pulling away and heading toward his kitchen, drawing Anthony along with him by a hand on his wrist.

"There's something I want to give you."

"What?"

Anthony followed after him easily, hovering nearby as Loki began rifling through one of his drawers. It took him only moments to find what he was looking for.

"This." He turned back to Anthony and held the plain, simple key out toward him. "It's a key to this apartment."

Anthony's jaw dropped, his hands shaking slightly as he took the small object.

"Are you asking me to move in with you?"

His shock actually managed to break through some of Loki's lingering anger and he chuckled.

"While I would not be in the least bit opposed, I think it would prove rather inconvenient for your class attendance." He paused. "But I'd like you to be able to come by whenever you'd like, to know you have a safe place to go. Whether I'm here or not you're welcome to come here at any time."

Anthony stared at the key for a moment that seemed to stretch for eternity before he slid smoothly down onto his knees, both hands going behind his back. He gazed up at Loki with those big, honey eyes and grinned like he'd won the sweetest of prizes.

"Please, Sir, is there anything I can do to repay you? Your kindness is _greatly_ appreciated."

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"So." Loki hummed in response to Anthony's opening, but didn't lift his head off of his pillow. "I've been reading a lot lately."

Resigning himself to the fact that Anthony clearly wanted a conversation, Loki turned to flop onto his back. He reached out blindly to catch Anthony by the arm and haul the boy in to lay with his head on Loki's shoulder. Anthony did a bit of shuffling before settling in.

"I was under the impression that you often read a lot. How's your cheek?"

"It's fine. Sore, but fine. I've been reading about a very specific subject."

"Am I going to have to drag every scrap of information about this out of you? It is far too early for such things."

Loki didn't have to open his eyes to know that Anthony was pouting.

"BDSM. I just, I figured I should probably know more about it since, well, that seems to be what you're into."

Loki's brow furrowed and he opened his eyes enough to look down at Anthony, having to crane his neck at an odd angle to do it.

"Do you not like it?"

"No, no, I do!" Anthony hurried to reassure. "I, uh, I really like it. It's just, reading all the stuff I found got me thinking. I think…I'd like a collar, if you're open to it, Sir."

Loki's still sluggish thoughts took a moment to catch up with what he was hearing.

"You want a collar?"

Anthony blushed.

"Yeah, but I don't need one! I just-I like the thought of being marked as yours."

Loki finally levered himself up, shuffling them both around and swinging his leg over Anthony's body to pin him to the mattress. He kissed along Anthony's jaw.

"I think that could be arranged, though I'll have to find the perfect one for you."

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Much to Loki's pleasure, Anthony took his open invitation to heart. He became a practical fixture in the apartment whenever he didn't have classes or need to be in the labs on campus. It became a regular occurrence for him to show up at Loki's door in the evening with his laptop in hand and work on his online classes while Loki read a book or negotiated contracts. It was a pleasant existence. And then Loki came back from a job in the first week of December to find Anthony and Thor both seated on his couch, chatting like old friends.

"Brother!" Thor boomed. "You did not mention that you stayed in touch with our friend from the bar! Why, when I arrived to find him in your apartment I nearly thought him a burglar!"

Loki scowled but Anthony laughed right along.

"I don't think I'd make a very good thief. I'm not cut out for that kind of thing."

"I do hope you have a reason for being here, Thor, other than waylaying my guests as though they were criminals."

Anthony picked up on his icy tone instantly and stiffened, though Thor remained as oblivious as ever.

"Mother sent me!"

Thor was all but bouncing in his seat like an excited pup.

"What for? Surely she could have simply called. Or _you_ could have."

He wasn't even sure why he bothered lacing his words with venom anymore. It never seemed to faze the blond behemoth.

"But we have not seen one another in ages, brother! I thought it would be a nice surprise!"

"Well, it certainly is a surprise. Now, what is it that Mother sent you for?"

"She has picked a date for the family Christmas! It is to be the twenty-fourth!"

"So the same day it is every year."

Thor shrugged.

"It seems a suitable day for such activities. Also, Mother wished for me to inform you that, should you attempt to evade attendance this year, she will ensure that singing carolers show up at your office every day for the entirety of January."

Loki grimaced.

"Charming."

Despite that it was an empty threat, Loki didn't even _have_ an office, the fact that it had been made at all meant that Frigga was serious about Loki coming. Last year he'd taken a contract in Shanghai just to avoid going and gotten three bullets in his abdomen for his trouble. He still counted himself as getting the better end of the stick.

"Shall I inform her that you shall be bringing a companion?" Thor grinned as he rounded on Anthony. "My brother does not take lovers often. Mother would be thrilled to meet you."

"What?" Anthony squeaked. "Lovers?! We're not-!" He turned to Loki in a panic. "I didn't-!"

"Peace, Anthony." Loki crossed the room to run his fingers through the boy's hair soothingly. "One thing you will learn about my brother is that his obliviousness is entirely selective. Speaking of which," he glared at Thor, "it's time for you to go."

"But you only just arrived!"

"And yet I feel as if I have already spent far too much time in your presence. Goodbye, Thor. The door is over there."

He didn't wait for the blonde's response as he pulled Anthony off the couch and guided him from the room. It wasn't until he heard the front door open and close again that the tension in his shoulders finally released. He ran a hand over his face as he heaved a sigh.

"I apologize for that. Thor and I…have a lot of history."

"Hey," Anthony spoke softly, moving in to press against Loki's side, "I understand. Sorry I let him in. I just recognized him from the bar and knew he was your brother, so…"

He trailed off into silence, looking guilty.

"No, it is fine. He would have simply stood outside the door to wait for me and followed me in upon arrival. I just keep hoping he'll get an offer for a dig in another country and get him out of my hair for a while."

"A dig?"

"He's an archeologist, through so far he has done nothing but work with local museums and exhibits in authentication and the like. He claims he couldn't bear to be away from his family."

Tony chuckled, resting his head on Loki's chest.

"From what little I talked to him that sounds like something he'd say."

Loki wrapped Anthony up in his arms, cradling him close, and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

"Anthony…Would you," he paused before getting up the courage to continue, "like to join me at my family's Christmas celebration? Odin and Thor are sure to make the evening as miserable as possible, I must warn you, but my mother is lovely. Granted, she would interrogate you but she would also adore you. I have no doubts."

Despite Anthony attempting to bury his face in Loki's chest, the green-eyed man could still easily spot the blush coloring his cheeks.

"I think-I think I'd like that."

Loki beamed. Perhaps Christmas would not be such a chore this year after all.

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"I do not understand why you're making me do this."

"Babe, c'mon." Tony clung to one of his arms as he marched them between stores, both of them wrapped up tight against the bitter cold. "They're your family. Of course you have to get them Christmas gifts. Hell, Howard and I even send things to each other, though I'm pretty sure he just has his secretary pick something out. Or Obie tells him. Point is, gifts are a thing."

"I already got something for my mother."

"Yeah. I saw the earrings, you have great taste by the way, but that still leaves you with two more family members to get gifts for."

Loki sniffed, lowing his chin to sink further into his scarf.

"The last gift Odin ever gave me was for my twelfth birthday. It was a pair of ballet shoes and a tutu. Apparently since I'd finally told them I was interested in boys instead of girls he thought that was something I might be interested in."

Tony frowned.

"Yeah, okay, I can see how that might not have gone over well but _still._ It's Christmas! Just get him a gift card to Home Depot or something. Dad's like Home Depot, right?"

Loki snorted.

"I'm pretty sure my father wouldn't be caught dead in a Home Depot." He gave Tony an assessing look. "Why is this so important to you?"

Tony shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny.

"My family doesn't get together on holidays, or ever, really. Gift giving is the only thing we have. Sometimes it's impersonal and bland but it's something. At least it's something."

Loki watched the boy for a long moment before wrapping and arm around his shoulders and pulling him close.

"Alright. But perhaps not a gift card to Home Depot. If I'm going to give that old bastard a present I refuse to half-ass it."

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It was downright embarrassing how quickly Frigga threw open the front door. Loki's foot had barely hit the bottom stair leading up to the front porch as he reached back to steady Anthony in all the ice and snow when his mother pulled the door wide and appeared in the light. Her smile seemed more radiant than all the Christmas lights on the street.

"Oh, Loki!" She met him halfway on the stairs to sweep him into a hug, holding him close before pulling back and laying a hand on either side of his face. "I'm so glad you came! Thor said you'd agreed but I just couldn't be certain. It's just so good to see you."

Loki smiled at her softly, true affection warming his chest. He set his bag of gifts aside to hug her properly.

"It's good to see you, too, Mother. There's someone I'd like you to meet." He shifted so Anthony could be more visible. "This is Anthony."

Her eyes flickered over the boy.

"Is this him? The one Thor mentioned?"

Loki felt a bit of iciness creep its way back into his expression.

"What did Thor say?"

Frigga just gave a little squeal of excitement as she moved past him to pull a very-surprised Anthony into a hug as well.

"Oh, welcome to the family! You must tell me all about yourself! Come in, come in! My son, he's been treating you right? How did you meet? How long have you been dating?"

She kept up her chatter as she guided Anthony up the stairs and into the house, his panicked gaze aimed over his shoulder at Loki. The older man just sighed and bent to pick up the gifts again. He trudged after them, kicking off snow as best he could before actually entering the house. Everything was exactly the same as it had been through his entire childhood. The foyer let out into a living room that seemed far too small with a tree crammed into it and decorations on every wall. Frigga had always loved Christmas. Odin sat on the longer couch, Thor on the other end of it, watching some sports game on the television. Odin didn't even glance up as they entered. Typical. Thor, in distinct contrast, stood with a grin as soon as he spotted them.

"Brother! Tony! I'm so glad you could make it!"

Frigga released Anthony only long enough for Thor to wrap massive arms around him and lift him right off his feet. Loki crossed the room to dump his burden by the tree.

"And if you wish for us to remain, you will release him, Thor."

Anthony was back on his feet in milliseconds but Thor was chuckling.

"Feeling protective, Brother?"

"Bad enough he has to be exposed to your presence, I shan't have him exposed to your touch as well."

Thor grinned sideways at Anthony.

"That means yes. You're a lucky man, Tony." He leaned in close. "But there will be no hope for you if you hurt my brother. Of the two of us, he is not the only one who is protective."

"Thor!" Frigga sounded appalled as she pulled Anthony closer to herself and away from the blond. "I will not have threats under this roof!" She glanced at the boy. "Though it is true. Loki is quite important to us."

"Clearly coming here was a mistake," Loki cut in. "Anthony, let's go."

Frigga pouted.

"Oh, don't be such a spoilsport, dear. We were only teasing."

"I'm actually rather sure you were serious."

"Loki, you have not come to Christmas dinner for the last three years and if you walk out that door I will not be held responsible for my actions but you will regret it."

Loki raised an eyebrow at her.

"What happened to not having threats under your roof?"

"That wasn't a threat, dear. That was a promise."

Loki had to shut his eyes for a moment to restrain himself from just flat giving up on everything.

"And which one was that from?"

"Storm Brewing!" She beamed excitedly, turning back to Anthony. "I just love those Dereck Storm novels but Loki won't give me anything but grief over them."

"He, uh, he mentioned that, actually. That you liked them."

Frigga huffed, clearly amused.

"I just don't know what to do with him. He's such a sweetheart but he refuses to admit it. I hope he's better at showing his affection for you than he is with the rest of us."

Anthony blushed prettily and stammered a bit until Loki swooped in to save him.

"Shall we get to dinner then, Mother?"

Odin grunted from his place on the couch as if in agreement.

.

..

…

..

.

"So, Thor hasn't been able to tell me hardly anything about you, Anthony! Are you in school?"

Loki could tell the boy was itching to correct her into calling him Tony but was too fearful of causing offence. He could intervene, of course, but Anthony needed to work on that assertiveness of his.

"Yes. I, uh, I'm at MIT."

"A college boy!" Frigga gushed. "How exciting! You know Loki only just graduated a few years ago." She tutted. "Refused to walk and didn't even tell us he had graduated until he came home for Thanksgiving!"

"Which you haven't let me forget."

Frigga gave Anthony a conspiratorial little smile.

"Loki and my husband got into a huge fight. He didn't show up to Christmas that year, or any holiday since." Her eyes softened as she turned back to look at Loki. "This is the first time we've been all together since."

Odin made a gruff sort of noise around his potatoes.

"Overdramatic as always."

Loki felt anger rise up in his chest but was somewhat mollified by the combination of Frigga glaring at her husband and Tony reaching across under the table to squeeze Loki's knee reassuringly. Loki reached down to lay his own hand atop Tony's and observed the stiffness of his mother's shoulders. Perhaps more had transpired within his family during his absence than he had thought.

"Anthony is extremely intelligent, Mother. He already has two Masters degrees."

Frigga perked up at this, clearly eager for the change in subject.

"How extraordinary! And at such a young age! You couldn't be more than…twenty, dear?"

Loki almost expected Tony to look to him in question, but the boy just grinned a bit self-deprecatingly.

"I'm younger than most of my classmates, yeah. But I enjoy the environment and the material is great. If everything goes as planned I'll have my Doctorates in Mechanical Engineering by the summer and my Nuclear Engineering one by next Christmas."

Frigga laughed.

"You don't spend all your time on studies though, do you?" Thor cut in. "What of the friend you were with when we first met?"

"That's Rhodey. He's awesome. And my roommate. I mostly hang out with him and Loki, but I'm also on the robotics team."

"He means he's the Captain of the robotics team."

Anthony blushed prettily and Frigga practically cooed.

"Oh, I can just see the love between you two! I can tell you'll be together for a very long time."

She accompanied this with a wink and Loki rolled his eyes.

"Yes, yes, Mother. Your clairvoyance is stunning to us all."

Of course, Loki had every intention of ensuring that this particular prediction of hers came true.

.

..

…

..

.

" _Oh, my goodness!_ "

Anthony grinned sheepishly.

"Like I said, Loki mentioned that you liked his books so I thought…I hope you like it."

Frigga clutched the signed copy of _Storm Fall_ to her chest with one arm and she pulled Anthony into a hug with the other and pressed a kiss into his hair.

"It's simply perfect, dear. How did you manage to even get something like this?"

Loki knew already that the book wasn't just signed but also was signed directly _to_ Frigga. Anthony truly had gone to great lengths to ensure the gift would be the best it could be.

"Back when I lived in New York I used to get dragged along to a bunch of fundraisers and such with my mom. I met the whole family there. His daughter is about my age so we would hang out together a lot."

Loki pulled Anthony in closer to his side, a small smile playing across his lips.

"I assured him that he didn't need to buy anything, but he insisted. My Anthony is quite a considerate gentleman."

Frigga seemed to just melt at that and she swatted Thor lightly on the arm.

"You've got some catching up to do, hun. Now that your brother is getting all settled down I think it's an excellent time for you to start bringing a nice young lady home, too."

Thor flushed with embarrassment and Loki laughed. He didn't remember things with his family ever going this smoothly.

"Careful there, Brother," he teased, though he saw the way Thor's eyes lit up at the acknowledgement. "She'll be begging you for grandchildren before you even get a ring on that poor girl's finger."

Thor's pleased look quickly turned into what could only be called an expression of fear and Loki laughed all the more because of it. He turned to curl a bit further toward Anthony and pressed a kiss into the boy's hair. Frigga was 'aw'ing behind them.

"You should open your present next," Anthony said to Thor, nudging the gift box toward the blonde with his toe so he wouldn't have to leave Loki's arms.

Thor grinned as he took the gift.

"You must allow me to take you out drinking sometime soon, Anthony! It would be the least I could do to repay your kindness."

Anthony grinned.

"Sounds like a plan, big guy."

Thor's gift was a handheld device with a screen and handles on either side. Thor turned it over several times with a quizzical look before Anthony finally took pity on him.

"It's a thermal imager, though I modified it so you could actually carry it around with you. Loki said you were an archeologist so I figured this might help with digs and stuff. It'll read all kinds of energy fields and produce an image of what's underground for you. Confession time, though. I don't have any experience with this sort of this so it'll only penetrate down about five feet or so."

"It is brilliant! And to think that you made it yourself!" Thor gave Anthony a gruff nod of approval. "You suit my brother well, indeed."

Odin stood abruptly.

"I'll be in my office." Frigga opened her mouth to protest but Odin just waved her off. "I have some work that needs to get done."

Then he was gone, sweeping out of the room like the villain in a Bond movie. Loki could just imagine him with a long, sweeping cape and everything. It would suit him.

"I'm sorry about that," Frigga apologized, aiming it mostly at Anthony. "Odin is…dedicated to his work."

"No, it's fine. My dad's the same way."

Loki squeezed Anthony and pressed a kiss to his forehead. Frigga clapped her hands as though it would clear the air in the room and painted on a smile.

"Well, I have cookies in the kitchen! How about I get some of those out, shall I?"

.

..

…

..

.

"You were magnificent tonight," Loki praised between kisses as Anthony rocked their groins together.

The boy was atop him as Loki lay back on his bed, one leg on either side of Loki's hips. He was making soft little noises and panting already, but Loki wasn't doing much better himself. Loki ran his hands up and down the boy's sides, all but petting him.

"I wanted to make you proud, Sir."

"You have, Anthony." Loki ran his thumbs over the boy's nipples to draw out a moan. "I am constantly proud of you. You are amazing. Anyone who cannot see that is a blind fool."

Anthony gasped and ground down harder against the erection beneath him. If Loki wasn't careful, they'd both cum like this.

"I want you inside me," Anthony groaned out. "I want to ride you just like this. May I ride you, Sir? Please? I want it so bad."

Loki couldn't hold back the grin that stretched across his face. Anthony truly did know how to cater to his every taste. He pushed himself up on one elbow to better ravage Anthony's mouth.

"Anything you want," he promised. "Anything at all and it shall be yours."

Anthony grinned and twisted his body to grab for the lube sitting on Loki's nightstand. He'd stopped bothering to put it away a while ago. There just didn't seem to be much of a point. The boy had Loki slicked up in moments with practiced movements and was levering himself up into his knees when Loki grabbed his hips to stop him.

"Forgetting something, love?"

Anthony's face when through an impressive array of acrobatics as he fought down a grin at the endearment and tried to pout.

"I can handle it." He pressed a kiss to Loki's lips. "I want to feel you stretch me out, feel the drag of you against the rim of my ass."

Loki smirked, one hand moving off of Anthony's hip to palm one ass cheek.

"Just a bit, love. Trust me."

Anthony gave a little huff of air as he pouted again but squeezed a bit more lube into his hand and coated his own fingers.

"I always trust you, Lo. Doesn't make the waiting any easier, though."

Loki could tell the moment Anthony slipped the first finger inside of himself by the little furrow of his brow. The expression cleared just moments later and Loki squeezed the boy's hips reassuringly.

"I have something for you, you know."

"I know," Anthony practically growled. "You just won't give it to me."

He ground down so their erections rubbed together just to emphasize his point and Loki chuckled.

"Yes, that. But something else, too."

Anthony was making tiny rocking motions with his hips, pushing down on his own finger. Loki was sure that by now the boy had two crammed up in there, ever impatient. Giving the boy's hips one last squeeze, Loki stretched across the bed to grab the box sitting on his other nightstand. It was only about an inch tall, five inches wide and eight inches long. He hadn't bothered to wrap it, knowing he would likely be presenting it in a situation just like the one they were currently in. The box was covered in a red velvet with a golden bow perched right on top. Anthony paused at the sight of it and Loki gave him a light little smack on one thigh.

"Did I tell you to stop?"

"No, Sir. Sorry, Sir."

Anthony picked up his movements again instantly, arching his back just a bit more so he could slip a third finger into his hole. Loki ran a hand over the boy's chest and abdomen.

"Such a naughty boy, though…I'm not sure if you deserve this gift if you're going to act out."

It was a bluff, of course, and Anthony knew it. Loki had this particular gift tucked away for weeks and there was no way he wouldn't be passing it on to Anthony now. The boy's eyes sparkled with mirth.

"I can be good, Sir." He dipped his head down to kiss across Loki's fingertips. "I promise."

Loki grinned up at him.

"Very well, though I think you may want both hands for this. Perhaps you'd like to fill yourself with something else before we continue?"

Anthony removed his fingers from within himself before leaning down to draw Loki into a kiss.

"Thank you, Sir."

Then he lifted himself up and sank fluidly down onto Loki's cock, using one hand to guide it and taking it in effortlessly. His mouth formed an 'O' as the muscles in his thighs trembled ever so slightly. Loki relished how his eyes fluttered shut to savor the experience. Loki passed him a couple of tissues.

"Here. Wipe your hand off."

Anthony did so without protest, rocking his hips on Loki's shaft and bringing them both pleasure.

"Do I get my present now, Sir?"

Anthony let his eyelids droop a bit so he could stare at Loki through his lashes and the older man just chuckled.

"Yes. I do believe you shall."

Of course, Loki nearly dropped the gift before Anthony could grab it due to the boy's excited squirming. Anthony popped the lid on the box and immediately froze, mouth dropping open at the sight of what was inside.

"Loki…Oh, my God…This is-"

"No less than you deserve."

Anthony seemed to have completely forgotten they were naked and basically in the middle of sex as he reached out to gingerly stroke the necklace that was nestled in the box. Loki had known the moment he saw it that Anthony had to have it. Granted, it wasn't technically meant to be worn by a man but Loki wasn't planning on having anyone else see the boy in it.

"It's beautiful…"

"It's vintage," Loki explained. "It's was made in the 1920's. You did say you wanted a collar, yes?"

The choker had eight strands of emeralds that would press tight against the throat with diamonds set in white gold for the pendant and loops that hung down from the front. It'd cost Loki twelve thousand dollars to purchase and the store owner had nearly fainted when Loki said he wanted to pay in cash. Anthony was worth every penny.

"I just-I didn't think you'd get me something like this!"

Loki grinned.

"You like it, though?"

"Like it? Loki, nobody's ever given me anything like this before." He held the box back toward Loki just a bit. "Put it on me?"

Loki took the box without hesitation, drawing the necklace out from the inside. Even in the dim light, the gems sparkled. He had to lean up a bit in order to reach around to the back of Anthony's neck and do the clasp. The movement shifted Loki's cock inside of the boy and left them both gasping, Anthony's dissolving into a moan. It took Loki three tries to actually get the two ends attached. The green of the emeralds lit up against Anthony's tan skin. Loki pressed a kiss to the boy's lips before letting himself lay back on the bed.

"You look amazing."

Anthony preened from the attention. Now reminded of their positions it seemed, the boy lifted himself up a bit and sank back down. He settled quickly into an easy rhythm.

"I look like I'm yours. No one could possibly doubt it."

Loki's hands settled back onto Anthony's hips as his own thrust upward each time Anthony came back down.

"It's a good look on you. I like it."

The kiss Anthony gave him was sloppy, jolted around by their thrusting. The main pendant from the necklace swung low enough to just barely graze Loki's skin. It was a wonderful reminder of just who the boy belonged to and Loki shivered at the sensation.

"I wish I could stay like this forever," Anthony confessed. "I wish I could just stay in your bed and never leave, know that you'd always been here to take care of me."

Loki chuckled, shifting just a bit so he would hit Anthony's prostate with every stroke. It elicited an appreciative moan on Anthony's part and he threw his head back as if to put his new adornment on display.

"No you don't. You'd be terribly bored confined to my bed. I'd rather have you in a lab or at a computer, dazzling me with your brilliance."

The huge brown eyes Anthony turned on him put the boy's vulnerability on clear display.

"But you'd still be there, right?"

They were both breathing heavy by this point and Loki reached between them to take hold of Anthony's cock, stroking it in time to their thrusts.

"I will never stop protecting you, Anthony. I swear it. And I will hold onto you for as long as you will let me."

The boy tried to say something in return, some affirmation of Loki's words, but he couldn't quite manage it. His flush had spread down his neck and chest, lighting up the gems at his throat all the brighter. Loki wanted to lick across the skin there, taste the heat mixed with the cool temperature of the stones. He didn't think his abdominal muscles would hold up to it, though. There would be another opportunity, he was sure.

Anthony's noises of pleasure increased both in volume and frequency as he drew closer to the edge. It wouldn't be much longer, Loki was sure. Already he could feel the way Anthony's thighs trembled and tightened with his impending orgasm. The tight heat wrapped around Loki's cock clenched down, making him hiss in a breath through his teeth. He squeezed the boy's own cock in response.

"Sir, Sir, I'm gonna-I need-"

"That's it," Loki soothed Anthony's desperate tones. "Good boy. Cum for me, Anthony."

Loki didn't think Anthony could have held himself back if he'd wanted to, if orgasm cascading over him. His entire body seized, going rigid, and spurts of cum shot out to coat Loki's abdomen. Anthony clamped down on Loki's cock still buried deep inside him and it was only moments before Loki was following him over the edge. The boy slumped forward, nearly collapsing on top of Loki.

"Merry Christmas, Lo."

Loki grinned into the boy's hair, slipping out of him gently and pulling him closer. They would have to get up soon to clean themselves, but he was much more interested in just staying curled around each other a little bit longer. He trailed his fingers lightly up Anthony's spine, from the dip right above Anthony's ass to the bottom of the emerald choker and back.

"Merry Christmas, my love."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tony's new necklace: [](http://s1175.photobucket.com/user/mmhannaford/media/2012-03-26_12-47-24_776_zpslsjaad5g.jpeg.html)
> 
> This is a real necklace and the price listed in the text is also the real price. Guys, guys...I WANT IT. If I could find it again I would sell my soul to get my hands on this thing. No questions asked. lol I hope you all enjoyed!


	3. Torn to Pieces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Optimism is not always rewarded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys asked for another chapter before Christmas so here it is. Don't blame me. You asked for this.

"Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year!"

The calls drifted through the cold air but went completely ignored by the apartment's occupants. Loki and Anthony were ensconced upon a single deck chair, bundled under heaps of blankets. Anthony's chill nose had been pressed into Loki's neck for the past hour, only coming up now for a deep kiss and to watch the fireworks go off above them. Loki was pleased, once again, to live in such close proximity to a park. His small balcony provided a perfect vantage point for any holiday celebration with all the comforts of home. Besides, he would never pass up on an opportunity to have Anthony curled up in his lap.

"I have a feeling this is going to be a good year."

Loki chuckled as he pulled the boy closer.

"Any particular reason?"

"Well I met you last year. That means I'm going to know you the entire year this year."

Loki hummed and pressed a kiss to the corner of Anthony's jaw.

"And that's all it takes to have a good year, is it?"

Tony twisted around to grin at him, his emerald choker just barely peeking out from under the blankets.

"Ain't nothin' gonna bring us down, babe. We ate the grapes."

"Of course," Loki indulged him. "Twelve grapes for twelve months. The year's fortune shall be ours."

Anthony grinned as he settled back in, ignoring the fireworks in favor of snuggling.

"And I'll be eighteen this year, too."

"In only five short months."

"We won't have to hide anymore."

Loki purred and kissed Anthony's head.

"And I shall keep you by my side with pride."

He didn't have to be able to see the genius's face to know that Anthony was grinning. In truth, coming out wouldn't actually change much about their relationship except that Loki would be able to kiss Anthony on the lips in public. They were still quite affectionate with one another as it was, since most people were unaware of Anthony's true age and it was really only illegal if they had sex, but the prospect was still freeing. Loki enjoyed the thought of being able to lay his claim to Anthony all the more thoroughly.

"Do you think anyone on the ground would be able to see us up here?" Anthony asked suddenly, his voice carefully casual.

"If they were looking, though I doubt they would be with the fireworks in the sky."

Tony sat up, one of his hands trailing down to the waistband of Loki's pants and popping the button as they kissed.

"Perfect. I want to get this year started off the right way."

.

..

…

..

.

Anthony was tied to Loki's headboard, blindfolded, with Loki buried in his ass and a vibrator pressed to his cock when the call came in, midway into January. Loki grinned as he plastered himself to Anthony's back, grabbing the phone and answering it before holding it to Anthony's ear.

"Be good," he whispered in the boy's other ear.

"H-hello?" Anthony's voice sounded strained, but he controlled it well. "No, no. I can talk. Sorry, Dad, I didn't look at the caller ID before I picked up."

Loki grinned and trailed kisses along Anthony's neck, praising him with little nips of teeth.

"Dad, no! It's, like, ten in the morning! I'm not drunk." Loki frowned into the Anthony's skin, suddenly much less thrilled with the idea of fucking Anthony while he was on the phone. It would have been far more enjoyable had it been anyone else calling. "Yeah, I _know_ that's how a lot of kids end up when they go off to college but I'm not an idiot. Dad-"

Whatever Anthony was going to say was cut off by the man on the other end of the line. Loki resisted the urge to growl with hatred toward a man he had never even met. One long, pale-fingered hand reached beneath Anthony's kneeling form to free him of the vibrator. If Anthony was in the mood at all after this, it would be for something gentler and Loki would be more than happy to prove how much he cared for the boy.

"What do you mean, 'wasting your money?' I'm on a full-ride scholarship!"

Loki carefully held the cellphone in place as he released Anthony's wrists from the leather cuffs which bound them. He slowly slid himself from inside the boy, maneuvering them both so that Anthony was sitting in his lap holding the phone with one hand while Loki massaged the wrist of his other arm. The blindfold stayed in place.

"What are you even talking about?" Anthony sounded exasperated, leaning back into Loki's chest. Then he stiffened suddenly, tone changing. "Where did you hear about that?"

Loki was instantly on-edge, watching Anthony for clues of what was happening on the other end of the line. He reached up to remove the blindfold from over the boy's eyes. Anthony's eyes were already open, staring off as something Loki couldn't see.

"That's-" his voice sounded faint, "that's not what it's like. You don't know what you're talking abou-"

Anthony flinched, a full-body recoil that had Loki wrapping the boy up in his arms and pulling him impossibly closer even as rage burned through Loki's veins. Anthony was his, belonged to him. Who was Howard Stark to hurt him so? He watched attentively as Anthony lowered the phone from his ear numbly, the conversation clearly over with Howard having hung up. Loki trailed kisses along the boy's cheek, anything to lessen the blow of what had just happened.

"What did he say?"

"He knows," Anthony cleared his throat, ducking his head and pulling away from Loki, "about us. Odin told him. Apparently he figured out who I was at Christmas and he called and," he choked himself off, his eyes brimming with moisture he refused to allow to spill. "Dad said it has to end. He said if I don't end it, he will."

An ice-cold vice tightened around Loki's heart. He had known this day would come, known from the very beginning that he wouldn't be able to keep Anthony, but then the boy had found out what he was and had chosen to stay despite it. Loki had known it was foolish but he hadn't been able to stop the hope that had bloomed within him. He'd introduced Anthony to his _family_ …When had he stopped fearing the worst at every moment? When had he stopped looking over his shoulder?

"Loki!"

He jerked back to himself, blinking owlishly at Anthony's now tear-streaked face. There was fear in the boy's features, as well as the pain. It was clearly not the first time he had called the man's name.

"Sorry, I-Sorry," Loki apologized as best he could around the splintered pieces of what had been his heart.

"I'm not leaving you," Anthony said with determination. "Fuck my old man. I'm not leaving you. He doesn't have any proof that anything has happened. He doesn't even keep an eye on me. All we have to do is tell Odin-"

"No," Loki cut him off, though he wished he could believe as Anthony did. "He did not watch you before, but he will now. You know it as well as I."

"But there's nothing he can do!" Anthony sounded every bit the boy he still was, eyes defiant and chin jutting out. "He wouldn't dare risk a scandal."

Loki's hands fisted in his hair as he stood, pacing the room aggressively. God, if only he could find some way out of this situation. Odin would pay, to be sure, but that would not help him much.

"Of course he wouldn't, which is why he will be watching so closely. And he won't just be watching you, my love."

Anthony quickly caught on to what he was saying.

"If he found out what you do…"

"I would be locked away between one heartbeat and the next. I will take nothing but what is absolutely necessary but that is unlikely to protect me for long."

Anthony was shaking his head, his own mind working furiously behind those beautiful eyes.

"I won't let that happen to you. I can't lose you."

Loki grimaced and moved back toward the boy, wrapping him up in his arms once again.

"It is not myself I am worried about. What would he do to you if we pursued this? What would he do if I were locked away and unable to keep you safe?"

"Nothing! He can't do anything to me anymore!" Anthony was curled into him, his face pressed against Loki's chest and his arms clutching him tightly. "It's not like I live with him anymore and I'm nearly eighteen. Even if he cut me out of the will and disowned me it wouldn't do a damn thing. I could get a job at any tech company in the world. Not that he'd dare disown me and let someone else snap me up."

Loki's mind flew through a flurry of equations, equations he knew had faulty variables but he couldn't bring himself to care.

"And once you are eighteen, he may have no say in who you have relations with." He pressed a kiss to the top of Anthony's head as he combed his fingers through the boy's hair. "We must stop seeing each other, if only for the time being. We shall convince your father that we have truly walked away from one another. When you come of age, there will be nothing he can say against us."

"What about him watching you? Me turning eighteen won't just make that go away."

"But I will have plenty of time between now and then to figure something out."

Anthony bit his lip, clearly torn but wanting any solution that ended with the two of them together. Loki had to admit he felt the same.

"Would we still be able to talk? At all?"

Loki stood and moved to his closet and pulled a plastic tub out of the back. Inside were a dozen or so phones and chargers individually wrapped in plastic bags. He picked one out and passed it to Anthony.

"I generally do not like to use these phones for any longer than absolutely necessary, but I would not be able to leave you for so long without speaking to you. It's a burner phone, never used before. I will contact you through that. And I will be watching you. You will not be alone in this."

Anthony stared at the phone for a long moment before launching himself at Loki, clinging to him like a life raft. Loki was not ashamed to admit he clung back just as desperately.

.

..

…

..

.

Loki'd called his mother the second Anthony had left his apartment, the boy looking every bit like a kicked puppy. As soon as Frigga answered, he told her in no uncertain terms that he wouldn't be showing up to any more family gatherings. Her protests were silenced by his cold, furious tone as he told her of what Odin had done. There's been a long moment before she'd told Loki she'd have to call him back and hung up halfway through saying Odin's name in a way that meant the world was about to come crashing down around her husband's ears. It was a hollow victory.

Thor showed up at Loki's apartment the next day with an entire ice cream cake. He barely set it on the counter before throwing strong arms around Loki's shoulders.

"Mother told me of what happened. I had thought you might be in need of company."

As much as Loki hated to admit it, Thor was right. They settled in on the couch with the cake and whatever marathon happened to be on TV. Loki couldn't even bring himself to pay attention. They talked of many things, as they hadn't done in years; their childhoods, Thor's career, the fact that Thor blamed himself for Loki's withdrawal from their family.

"I should have done more, I see now. There were so many times where I could have been there for you yet I simply chose not to see what was right in front of me. I was so caught up in myself that I couldn't look past it to see all of the pain you were in."

Loki heaved a heavy sigh.

"As much as I may have in our youth, you were hardly to blame for what happened. Odin raised us both to be what he wanted of us."

Thor's face clouded over with poorly contained anger.

"Mother is talking of leaving him."

Loki set his plate aside before he could drop it.

"You can't be serious."

It was Thor's turn to sigh, his anger fading into tired resignation.

"You hardly visited once you left for college and then after your fight with Father over the graduation…You have not been around to bear witness. Things between our parents have been unwell for quite some time. I fear they have been since even before I noticed. This may just prove to be the final straw. Mother has grown far less tolerant of Father's ways."

Loki's gaze dropped to his hands.

"I will not say that he does not deserve every bit of misery to come into his life," Loki took a deep, shuddering breath, "but I would not wish this upon our mother. She has not spoken of it to me."

"It would surprise me if she had." Thor leaned against Loki's shoulder, making himself a comfortable presence there. "I do not think she would have spoken of it to me if I had not approached her about it first, when I noticed how things had changed between them. She would not want you to see any discord and think it more reason not to come home."

The sound of the TV filled the silence between them.

"In a way, it is comforting to know that my world is not the only one crumbling to pieces."

Thor's arm found its way around Loki's shoulder and the raven-haired man could not even find it within himself to protest.

.

..

…

..

.

Loki made good money doing what he did and he'd always been more of a saver than a spender. He was never more appreciative of that than in this situation. He didn't dare take on any new jobs, not until he was able to identify each of the people under Howard's employ who might be watching Anthony and himself. His paranoia skyrocketed, potential threats showing up in every face he passed on the street. Evasive maneuvers became the norm every time he left his house, trying to lose a tail he couldn't even be sure he had.

He started tailing Anthony nearly everywhere the boy went, keeping an eye out for who in the crowd showed up time and time again. It tore a hole in his chest to see how downtrodden the usually upbeat boy had become. Dark bags developed beneath his eyes and it was only Rhodes who seemed able to draw even the barest hint of a smile from him anymore. He was unkept and wore the same baggy sweatshirt day after day. Loki recognized it as one stolen from his own closet.

He was tempted to kill the few of Howard's agents he had managed to identify as an outlet for his anger, but knew it would only draw further unwanted attention. He might as well put up a neon sign with an arrow pointed at himself. Better for both himself and Anthony if he just kept a low profile. In truth, he shouldn't have even been watching as much as he was. The truth of that was further proved when his phone rang with an unknown number as he sat in a café across the street from where Rhodes had dragged Anthony out to get something to eat.

"Stay away from my son," a gruff, male voice said into the line before Loki could even say a word.

"Ah. Howard Stark, I presume? My parents always taught me it was polite to start off a conversation by introducing oneself."

"Cut the crap. Whatever game you're playing ends now. If it's money you want, that can be arranged. I won't have you dragging the Stark name through the mud."

Loki's eyebrows rose toward his hairline.

"Are you bribing me?"

"I'm giving you incentive to get the Hell out while you can. It won't be nearly as pleasant a conversation the next time we have it. I'm offering you $50,000 to walk away now."

Loki pursed his lips and tilted his head a bit to stare into the dejected look on Anthony's face as the boy poked at his barely-touched burger. Rhodes reached an arm across the table to squeeze his shoulder comfortingly.

"$500,000 and you have a deal, Mr. Stark."

"You mean to haggle with me on this? Do you have any idea who you are dealing with?"

Howard sounded offended, which made Loki grin widely.

"I simply well aware of the value of information, Mr. Stark. $500,000 would keep me comfortable for quite a while. And I know exactly who I am dealing with. It's not as though you don't have the money to spare. Do you _really_ want it getting out that your son likes it up the ass from older men?"

Loki could practically hear the other man's anger radiating over the telephone.

"You'd go to jail for that."

"Would I? I'm not so sure. I could always contact a journalist as an anonymous source. Of course, you would accuse me of such actions but the damage would already be done. The entire world would know."

For some reason, when Loki attempting to picture Howard's look of fury the face that came to mind was Odin's.

"You're nothing but a sick freak. Being an anonymous source would do nothing to step the Hell I would rain down upon your head. Your life would be over."

"Perhaps. But at least I would have taken you down with me. If you were to accuse me of preying on your son, you'd have control of the media. But if I came forward first," Loki forced himself to chuckle, "just how graphically do you think I could describe your son's _enthusiasm_?"

"Fuck you. This is just some sort of game to you, isn't it?"

"That depends. Am I winning? Now, shall I expect the money by the end of the week or shall I call the New York Times instead?"

"Fuck you," Howard said again, as if the first time just wasn't enough. "You'll get your money."

"Excellent." Loki grinned. "I'll text you the details of where to send it."

He hung up without waiting for a response, typing up a quick text one-handed with the account number for one his offshore banks. He then slipped that phone into his pocket and pulled out a different one, thumbing his way over to the only number in the contact list. Moments later, there was fumbling in the booth across the street.

"Hello?"

"You haven't been sleeping well. I can see how tired you are."

Anthony immediately perked up, ignoring the questioning looks coming from Rhodes.

"You're watching?"

"I did tell you I would be."

"Yeah, well, it's been a week and I hadn't heard from you…"

Loki made a deliberately dismissive noise even though he wanted to dash across the street and promise the boy he never needed to doubt Loki's affections.

"You needn't worry, dear. I have been close."

Anthony pouted.

"I wish I could see you."

Rhodes was glowering at his fries.

"It has been more than a small comfort, I will confess. I just got off the phone with your father."

Anthony gave a nearly violent jerk of surprise.

"What?"

His question came out breathlessly.

"He offered me $50,000 to stay away from you. I demanded $500,000 or I would go public which, of course, is the absolute last thing he wants right now. I'm thinking we use it to get a nice little chateau in France, perhaps in the country."

Anthony was ducking his head to hide his face but Loki knew he was grinning.

"Real estate in rural France is very cheap right now. I think we might have some left over. How do you feel about Italy?"

"Gorgeous," Loki settled in with a smile, enjoying their shared fantasy, "but all that stone is terrible for a cell phone reception. At least in the old city regions and those have the most interesting architecture."

"We could buy a winery," Anthony offered. "Slap a couple cell phone towers on all that land and make some extra cash at the same time."

"Very enterprising, my dear." A man with a ball cap and shaggy hair approached the door of the diner, clearly moving to enter it. "I have to go. You're about to be joined by one of your father's men."

Anthony pouted.

"I love you."

Really, no one could have expected Loki to keep the smile off of his face after that.

"I love you, too."

.

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Loki was not the only one to notice Anthony's worsening mood. His professors expressed their concern even as the boy threw himself all the more into his doctoral project. His classmates expressed anywhere from concern to mocking patronization, some of which made Loki want to snap their necks. Rhodes was there for the worst of it, thank goodness, throwing an arm around Anthony's shoulders and pulling him in tight while glaring at anyone who dared say a word. Of course, there were still those who couldn't quite see the wisdom of leaving well enough alone.

Tiberius Stone had taken the rest of the Fall semester off after his little mishap at the party, only now returning for the Spring semester. Anthony had snuck a peak at the official medical records and apparently Stone's story was that he'd gotten a bit too drunk and fallen into the glass coffee table. He was too proud to admit what had really happened. Unfortunately, his absence and recent return meant that he was holding all of his bitterness and desire for revenge still close to his chest. Anthony was at him most vulnerable emotionally and Loki couldn't even be there to comfort and protect him. It was like open season.

"You can't do anything," Anthony told him one night when they were holed up in their respective homes and talking on their burner cells. "It's too risky right now. Just let it go. I can take it."

"You should never have to," Loki groused. "You are above them in so many ways they cannot comprehend it."

"I know that," and, miraculously, the boy sounded like he believed it. He'd come such a long way from when they had first met, "and you know that. What they think of me doesn't matter. They're the ones who are going to be licking my boots when I take over Stark Industries anyway."

"Licking your boots? My, that does provide some nice mental imagery."

"Yeah, so let 'em say what they want. It doesn't change a thing."

Loki pursed his lips and glared out of the sliding glass doors that led onto his patio.

"Very well, but if he harms you…"

"Then I'm sure Daddy's goons will step in. Can't have the golden goose damaged, you know. It's far more important that you stay safe."

A sliver of amusement found its way through Loki's irritation and fear.

"Isn't that my line to you, dear?"

"What can I say? I've been learning from the best. You've rubbed off on me."

Something about that statement bothered Loki, though it was said innocently enough. He just couldn't put his finger quite on why.

"This time cannot pass quickly enough," he said instead of voicing his misgivings.

"I know!" Loki could just imagine the boy flopping back on his bead, rolling around in the sheets as he so often did. Rhodey would be at his desk, rolling his eyes at Anthony's antics. "My dad is such a dick."

"In his defense, though I do not disagree, most parents would not be thrilled to find their underage son was dating a man nine years their senior."

"Yeah, but most parents would be concerned about their child. Dad's just worried about his legacy. That's all I represent to him. He couldn't care less about me."

"And that is a mistake he will learn to regret, isn't it?"

"Not as much as he's going to regret underestimating me."

A shiver ran down Loki's spine as the feeling from earlier returned ten-fold.

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The money arrived in Loki's bank account at the end of the week exactly as had been promised. The contractor whistled as he stared at the numbers on his computer screen. It looked like he wouldn't have to worry about the lack of recent work digging into his savings after all. He'd even make money off of this. Up until he'd seen the change in his balance, he hadn't fully believed Howard Stark would pay. Being able to blackmail him just seemed too easy.

Loki set about moving the money out of the account, sending bits and pieces of it to different places where he'd be able to access it later. This account was merely a proxy anyway. It wasn't meant to hold onto money for any longer than absolutely necessary. He'd have to get something nice for Anthony. At least half of the money rightfully belonged to the boy. As much as Loki hated every second of their separation, it was causing Anthony the most stress.

All the transfers taken care of, Loki moved to his kitchen for another cup of coffee. Anthony was in classes all morning and it would be pointless to follow him for now. Unfortunately, without the option of taking or scheduling any jobs, Loki's days didn't have much to fill them anymore. His eyes lingered on the house phone for a long moment before he sighed to himself and turned away. He wasn't going to call his mother again. That just wasn't an option. He would go out. Do something. Get some fresh air.

He changed clothes to be at least somewhat presentable and headed to his car. It wasn't until he was pulling into the parking lot of the Peabody Museum that he even realized that was where he was going. Great. This was even worse than having called him mother. With a grumble, he slid out of his car and headed inside. He bypassed the ticketing stations in favor of the service desk. The woman who sat behind it was a plump, older woman in a security uniform. Loki was pretty sure she'd only be able to take someone down if they stood still long enough for her to sit on them and even then it was an iffy situation. He smiled at her anyway.

"Hi, I'm here to see Dr. Norse?"

God, he hated referring to Thor by his title.

The woman looked him over skeptically.

"Do you have an appointment?"

"He asked me to drop by."

Which was true. Technically. Thor had told him he could come by any time he wished…That had just been a few years ago and this was the first time Loki had taken him up on the offer.

"Name?"

She was already picking up the phone at her desk and dialing in an extension.

"Loki Zilveren."

Her only response to him was a skeptic hum before the line picked up.

"This is security. I have a 'Loki Zilveren' here to see you?" Whatever Thor's reaction was it nearly startled her enough to make her drop the phone. She scrambled to resituate it against her ear. "Yes, absolutely. I'll send him right in."

Loki continued to smile at her as she got him a pass and gave him directions through the double doors off to one side. He thanked her with perhaps a bit more warmth than necessary and headed on his way. Thor met him in the hallway.

"I was not expecting you, brother."

Loki allowed himself a little shrug and gazed at the displays they passed on the way back to Thor's office instead of actually looking at the blond.

"I was not expecting me, either, to be honest."

"Then you must have something serious, indeed, which weighs upon your mind. For you to approach me…Is this to do with Tony?"

Thor held open the door to his office so that Loki could enter first. The desk was cheap and the shelves were cluttered with books and various specimens. Somehow, Loki had always thought Thor's office would be a bit more glamorous.

"In a way, I suppose. I worry for him."

Thor's face was solemn as they settled into their seats, Thor's the squeaky one behind the desk and Loki the rock-solid one in front.

"This separation that has been forced upon you has been difficult, I am sure. I know he is but a teenager. He is not yet equipped by life to handle this kind of trial easily."

"It is more than just that, I fear," Loki said through a grimace. He could hardly believe he was speaking such things aloud to Thor of all people. "Anthony has had a rough life already. He is able to weather more than most."

"Then it is all the more unfortunate that he must weather this on top of all that he had already been through. Tell me what is on your mind, brother."

Loki eyed him cautiously, waiting for that familiar swell of irritation. It did not come.

"I am compelled to protect him, Thor. He needs someone to be there for him. I am just not certain any longer that it should be me."

He was infinitely grateful that Thor did not brush his statement aside with platitudes as the blond once would have.

"Have your affections for him lessened?"

"You know if that were so I would have no qualms with cutting him out of my life and would use such a perfect excuse as this separation in a heartbeat."

"So then you are concerned for what is best for him. Why should it not be you?"

"I am," dangerous, a killer, dirty, "older. By nearly a decade. That is quite a gap. And he is a teenager, as you said. His attentions are fickle."

Thor snorted.

"If you think what he feels for you is nothing but a passing fancy then you are as blind as a bat, brother. Anthony believes you hung the moon and stars."

The corners of Loki's mouth turned down in a grimace.

"And who is to say that is a good thing?"

Thor was silent, watching him for a long moment before standing and walking around his desk. He settled his bulk into the chair beside Loki's, looking far too large for it. He leaned forward so that his elbows rested upon his knees.

"I have not seen you doubt yourself so for quite some time, brother."

Loki's chest ached, the memory of his younger self sneaking into Thor's room to hide under his covers coming to mind unbidden.

"I have not had something so important at risk for quite some time."

"Have you considered," the blond mused, "that your concern for Tony is exactly what makes you so well suited for him? You said yourself that he is in need of someone to protect him."

"I am not a good person, Thor."

The blonde opened his mouth, seemed to think better of it, and closed it again. The silence stretched for a long moment while Thor found his words.

"Do you remember when Uncle Tyr called us to bail him out of jail after he started that bar fight?"

Loki nodded. Loki had only been sixteen then, Thor nearly nineteen. Loki hadn't yet known he was adopted.

"There were some guys harassing a woman. He took offence."

"And do you remember what he said to us? 'Being a gentleman does not always mean being a gentle man.' I do not think you have to be a good person in order to be good for Tony."

Loki chuckled humorlessly.

"You aren't going to try to convince me that I am a good person?"

"Would you believe me if I did?"

"Not in the slightest," Loki admitted with a hint of self-deprecation.

Thor gave a wry smile.

"Then I had best not even attempt it, eh? I see no need to waste both of our times if we already know the outcome."

.

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"You have a black eye."

Everything in Loki screamed to follow Anthony into his dorm, up the stairs, and to his room. It had been over a month and a half since Howard's call had forced them apart and it was driving Loki insane. He felt like ripping his hair out by the roots.

"It's not that bad, I swear. It looks worse than it really is. I tripped."

"And if I ask Rhodes, will he say you tripped as well? Or will his story contain a bit more of Tiberius Stone than yours has?"

"I…might have had help tripping?"

Loki wanted to burn something, to tear something to pieces with his bare hands. He wanted to _destroy_ Tiberius Stone.

"He will regret the very day he was _born_."

"Not if it means you put yourself in danger." Anthony's tone was insistent. "If my dad catches you then none of this matters, none of it. He'd make sure you got the death penalty and I can't handle that, okay? I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing you got killed because of me."

Loki took several deep breaths to calm himself, trying to concentrate on Anthony's words and let them truly sink in. He had more than just himself to think about here. He would not be the only one punished if he was discovered.

"You are right. Forgive me."

"I don't think you should ever have to apologize for wanting to protect me."

"You are the most precious thing in my life, Anthony. Don't ever forget that."

"You know, coming from anyone else I don't think I could believe that. But from you…I didn't believe you could actually feel this way about another person. I thought it was all in the books and movies, that cultivated romantic ideal for the masses to strive for but that no one could ever achieve. Does this make any sense to you?"

A grin snuck its way onto Loki's face as Anthony spoke.

"Yes. It does. I had not thought myself capable of love anymore. After everything that had happened with my family, I had given up. It was not even something I thought I wanted. But then, you do have a way of taking people's lives and turning them on their heads."

"Do you regret it? Saying yes to me that day?"

"If your father were to lock me up this very moment for the rest of my life, I would not regret an instant of the time we spent together. You would be worth it. I would only ever regret it if this came to hurt you, my dear."

Loki leaned back against the brick wall he stood beside. He was obscured from the walkways by bushes but he could look up and see the light on in Anthony's dorm room.

"We're nearly there. It's March now. Only two more months to go and then we're home free."

"It will be a relief to have to in my arms once more."

"Yeah?" The voice came from behind him and Loki whirled around to spot Anthony's crouching, shadowed figure grinning at him madly. He'd looped around and entered the row of bushes from the other end so Loki wouldn't hear him coming. "That's good to know."

Loki's arms were around him in an instant, pulling him close as the older man covered his face with kisses.

"What are you doing here? We could get caught."

"They didn't see me. Don't worry. I had Rhodey run a distraction."

One of Loki's eyebrows arched.

"Did he know you were coming to see me?"

If anything, Anthony's grin only got wider.

"He said he'd rather me see you than have to keep dealing with my moping."

Loki chuckled.

"You have quite a friend there."

Anthony hmm-ed in agreement as he leaned in for another kiss.

"What can I say? Stark's accept nothing but the best."

He pushed in close, his body fitting against Loki's in all the right places. His arms wrapped around Loki's neck as if trying to pull himself up higher. Loki chuckled and held him securely around the waist as the older man slid to sit on the ground instead. Anthony settled on his lap with a leg on either side of him.

"I must admire someone with good taste."

They quieted for a while just kissing and staying tightly pressed against one another for warmth and to savor that the other was there. It reminded Loki almost painfully of the position they had been on New Years, when their hopes had been so high for the future.

"I do not think I could bear to lose you, Anthony."

"I won't let that happen," the boy promised. "I won't let you lose me. I will always be yours, Loki. Always."

Loki buried his face in the crook between Anthony's shoulder and neck so the boy would not see how close he was to tears.

.

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"You lying son of a bitch."

Loki couldn't help but grin.

"What a way to start a conversation, Mr. Stark. Is there a problem?"

"You know damn well there's a problem. You said you'd leave my son alone."

"Did I? I'm afraid I don't remember that part."

"We had a deal!"

"Oh, yes, of course. And we've both held up our ends of it. You paid me and I didn't go to the media. Wasn't that what we agreed to?"

"You think you're so smart, don't you? You won't get away with this." Howard chuckled darkly on the other end of the line. "You've dug your own grave and I am going to have quite a bit of fun burying you in it."

Loki froze, mind darting back through their conversation, trying to find where he'd miss-stepped.

"You wouldn't risk me going to the media."

Howard laughed and the sound chilled Loki to the bone.

"I've had people watching Tony, you know." It was the first time he'd referred to his son by name. "That means they've seen you, too. How much weight do you think your pathetic little claims will be once I've painted you as the deranged stalker?"

Tension gripped Loki's heart, but he remained calm. He'd faced down armed gunmen before. He could handle something as simple as this.

"Anthony would never stay quiet. How much weight would _your_ claims hold with his word backing up mine?"

"He will say nothing," Howard hissed, "if he knows what is good for him. Besides, I'm sure the boy will see reason once I make it clear what your cellmates would do to you if they found out you were a pedophile."

Loki winced. Yes, that would be enough to keep Anthony quiet, even if he hated every moment of it.

"He knows I can take care of myself."

"Why, with that sort of incentive, I'm sure I could even get him to testify _against_ you."

Loki grit his teeth, furious with himself even more so than he was furious with Howard.

"So what is this? A courtesy call to tell me you won? Your opportunity to gloat before you bring the world down on my head?"

"It's a warning that you can't win, no matter what you do. This is my game and you are nothing but a pawn I would be more than happy to sacrifice at any time. But I'd still like to do this with the least amount of mess possible. So I'm offering you a new deal. Get out of town. Tonight. I don't care where you go except that it is far, far away. My suggestion is South America. Great weather down there. As a token of my good will, I've even sent an extra $100,000 to that account number from before."

"I'll kill you," Loki sneered. "When you least expect it, I will take your life from you and I will enjoy every second of it."

Howard laughed.

"Maybe you will, but I doubt it. Even if you do get lucky, I'll have people in place to come for you just in case something were to ever happen to me. So, really, you should be hoping I live a very long life."

Loki hung up the phone to the sound of Howard's laughter in his ear.

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The front door slammed into the entranceway wall hard enough that Loki was able to hear it all the way back in his bedroom. He was pulling his 9mm from the bedside draw and swinging it around to aim when Anthony barreled into the bedroom. His eyes were glassy with unshed tears and his face was red like he'd run the entire way to Loki's apartment from his dorm.

"Where you even going to tell me?"

Loki dropped the gun on the bed without a second thought and all but dived at Anthony, clutching him desperately to his chest.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry. This was all my fault."

Anthony clung back just as hard.

"He can't do this. He can't take you away from me."

Loki pressed repeated kisses into Anthony's hair.

"As much as I hate it, he can. Now he can levy stalking charges instead of statutory rape and save himself any and all embarrassment."

"So, what? That's it? I never get to see you again?"

The words were like daggers to Loki's heart, leaving him bleeding and gasping for breath.

"I could not imagine going back to my life before I met you. I'd never realized how empty it was until you came and filled the space there. I cannot lose you, Anthony."

The boy stared up at him with wide, wet eyes.

"I brought a bag."

Loki froze.

"What?"

"I brought a bag, with cash and a few electronics. Everything I'd need." Anthony took a deep, shuddering breath as he steeled himself. "Let's run away together."

Loki released him immediately, backing away.

"So your father can claim I kidnapped you? On top of everything else?"

"Then we go separately! You go one way and I'll go another, make sure I show my face in front of some cameras, get recognized a few times. His claims won't hold any water if I clearly ran away. Then we can just meet up somewhere in a few days."

"It is not that simple," Loki snapped. "Your father will have people watching me. If you so much as go missing, I haven't the slightest doubt they'll be told to act. We won't exactly be having a 'Happily Ever After' if one of us is dead."

Anthony flinched, but came back moments later with fire in his eyes.

"Then kill them first! Or, better yet, kill my bastard of a father! That is what you _do,_ right?"

That shut Loki up. He stared at Anthony's panting, angry face. He'd wanted to sully the boy, yes, corrupt the innocence within him but this…This had not been what he'd wanted. He'd wanted to _protect_ Anthony from this kind of violence yet here the boy was, asking Loki to kill his own _father._

"Anthony, I-"

"No!" The tears were threatening to spill over the boy's cheeks. "If he's going to stand between us being in a relationship than I'd rather he were dead! He's never seen me as anything more than a tool anyway! I'm not his son! I'm his creation! And I'm sick and tired of him popping up to ruin my life whenever he damn well pleases! That drunk bastard deserves to die!"

Loki reached for him, but his hands were slapped away. He'd never seen the boy in such a state.

"I can't kill your father, Anthony," he said as gently as possible.

He may as well have slapped the boy across the face while saying it.

"You have no _idea_ the things he did to me," Anthony snarled. "Tiberius Stone is child's play compared to what I grew up with in that house. If you won't do it, maybe I should just do it myself."

Loki was shaking like a leaf as he snatched up the boy's wrists.

"Anthony. Anthony, you can't do that. You _must_ not do that. Do you understand me? You are far too good to fall to my level. Please," his voice broke a bit, "do not put the responsibility for turning you into such a thing on me. I would never forgive myself."

His desperation seemed to get through when nothing else had. Anthony's anger fled his face.

"Why? Why do you care if I do it or not? Why is it okay for you but not for me?"

Loki moved to sit on the edge of his bed, pulling Anthony down beside him. One of his hands stayed on Anthony's wrists as the other rose to massage the back of the boy's neck.

"I know you do not see it this way, my dear, but what I do…I am a monster. No, no," Loki hushed the boy when he made a noise of protest. "I simply state the fact. I am a monster. It is what comes naturally to me and that is all I am. You are so much more than that. You don't have to be a monster."

"What if being a monster is the only way I can stay with you?"

Loki pulled him close, pressing another kiss into his hair.

"I'm sorry, Anthony. I could not ask that of you, and I could not watch you make that choice for me. There is so much more potential in you. With college, your father's company that will become yours, you could become so much more than I could ever be. This," he gestured briefly, "is all I will ever be about to achieve. This is as far as I do. I will not stand in the way of all that you could be."

Anthony lifted his head and opened his mouth to respond, but never got the chance as Loki's fingers found the bundle of nerves at the base of his neck and applied pressure. He was unconscious against Loki's chest in seconds.

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"Brother, what-"

"I need your help, Thor."

As if that weren't obvious just from Loki showing up at Thor's doorstep with an unconscious seventeen-year-old cradled in his arms. Anthony would awaken with a nasty headache, but it would not be until late tomorrow morning.

"Anything, of course." Thor opened the door to his apartment wider, allowing Loki in and checking behind them as if expecting pursuers. Loki wouldn't have been surprised if there were some. "What is going on?"

"I have to leave, Thor."

The blonde's eyes darted between Loki and the boy he was carefully laying out on the couch.

"This is not for a business trip."

Loki grimaced.

"No. It is not. I need you to look after Anthony while I'm gone."

"Me?"

Loki stroked Anthony's cheek before standing, turning to face his adoptive brother with a serious expression. He lay a hand upon Thor's shoulder.

"There is no one to whom I would trust his safety more than to you." He leaned in closer, trying to convey without words just how severe this situation had become. "You must keep him from being hurt. Please, Thor. If you ever considered yourself my brother, please do this for me."

"You need not pull out the theatrics, Loki. I would have done it for the simple asking. Of course I will look after him. But what of you? You cannot expect me to just let you go."

"You _must,_ Thor. I-" Loki glanced over his shoulder at Anthony's slumbering form. "I will not take unnecessary risks."

"When will you be back?"

"When it is safe, though I do not know when that will be," Loki confessed.

His brother seemed not at all comforted.

"Is someone threatening you? Is that what this is about? Are they threatening Anthony?"

"There is nothing you can do, Thor. Save your hero complex for where it is truly needed."

Thor grumbled.

"It is not a crime to wish to help my brother, despite what you seem to think."

Loki closed his eyes for a long moment to regain control of himself.

"You're right. I'm just stressed, is all."

It was Thor's turn to grasp one of Loki's shoulders.

"Then let me help you."

Loki's eyes drifted back to the couch, to Anthony.

"I am, brother, as much as I am able."

Thor looked pained, but nodded anyway.

"I will keep him safe. You have my word."

"He may try to follow me. Stop him. And tell him I love him, please."

Thor blinked rapidly, eyes suspiciously misty. He had to clear his throat before he could speak again.

"Swear to me that I will see you again."

"I can't-"

" _Swear to me, Loki._ "

His smile was heartbreaking as he did as his brother bade him.

"I swear."

"Then I will deliver your message. Make sure you tell him again when next you are together. I will keep him safe until then."

The two bothers stared at each other for another moment before crashing together in a bodily hug, practically grappling. It was the closest they had been in a decade, possibly even longer.

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"Hello, Mr. Stone."

Loki grinned as the college student shot upright in his bed. All of the aggression he'd had no outlet for in the past several months welled up inside of him. He was going to make this moment worth every second.

" _What the fuck?_ "

"I did warn you. You should have heeded my warning."

There was something extremely satisfying about startling someone so badly they scrambled out of their bed in their boxers and fell on their face. He didn't wait for Tiberius to scramble back to his feet, just planted a foot on the back of his head and pushed the idiot's face further into the carpet.

"Wh-what're you going to do to me?"

Loki couldn't help the chuckle that slipped out of him, all of Anthony's injuries since the new start of school flitting through his head. Howard Stark may have been out of Loki's reach, but this piece of trash certainly wasn't.

"I've been watching, you know," Loki said instead of answering Stone's question. He would find out that answer in time. "I saw everything you did to him, or saw the aftermath of it, at least."

"I'm sorry," came the whimpered groveling. "They were stupid pranks, you know? I was just mad!"

"Do you remember the day you pushed him down the stairs? He cut a line across his second rib…It's going to scar."

"I didn't mean it! I swear I'll never touch him again! I swear!"

Loki tutted pityingly.

"I wish I could believe you. I really do. Of course, even if I did I'd still butcher you like the disgusting pig you are."

He grinned widely as he withdrew a knife from his pocket.

"Please don't! Oh, God, I don't want to die! Please don't kill me!"

"Let's start with the ribs, shall we?"

Loki's only regret was that he was going to have to keep this quick. He had a plane to catch, after all. At least he wouldn't have to worry about the body.

.

..

…

..

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Loki was living in Shanghai when he returned to his shithole of an apartment to find five men who'd been sent to kill him. It wasn't until nearly two weeks later he found the news article about the tragic car accident that had claimed the lives Howard and Maria Stark. Over three and a half years had passed since he'd seen Anthony's face on anything but a computer screen or a magazine cover. It was time for Loki to head to Europe.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snipers, strippers, and soldiers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT INFORMATION! LOOK ALIVE! READ THIS!
> 
> There will now be a generous use of German in this fic. It starts this chapter and will only become more prominent as the fic continues. FOR READERS ON THE COMPUTER, hover your cursor over the German text and a translation will appear. FOR READERS ON THE PHONE, you're shit out of luck because the coding doesn't work there. I'll have a list of translations at the bottom of the page. I do confess, for this fic I recommend reading on the computer.

Loki would have liked to have gone running straight back to Anthony. He _ached_ for it down to his very bones. He’d tried to avoid looking the genius up while he was in hiding, if only because it made the separation hurt all the more. Once he knew Howard was dead, and killed at least eleven different people sent after him because of it, he’d traveled to Europe in the hopes of contacting Anthony from there, from the villa he’d bought in the French countryside to show he hadn’t forgotten their dreams, even the playful ones. He hadn’t liked what he’d seen. Anthony had _moved on_.

Loki seethed at the picture of _his_ Anthony swanning through galas and red carpet events with the same pretty red-head on his arm every time. They even had a _sex tape_ floating around, though Loki hadn’t been able to bring himself to watch it. He knew his anger was largely born of hurt and jealousy, but it didn’t matter. Somewhere along the way, Loki had managed to convince himself that Anthony truly did love him. He supposed this proved him wrong. He hadn’t bothered to look up anything else about the genius. There was nothing else he needed to know.

Without Howard breathing down his neck, Loki was able to go back to taking up contracts without fear of getting caught. He took whatever jobs came his way and never stayed in one place long. There was no one for him to answer to, no one he needed to hide his movements from besides law enforcement. There was no reason for him to be attached to any one area. He didn’t really care much about the jobs themselves. They were just a distraction, after all.

Five years after he’d run away, he hardly even paid attention to the jobs he was taking before he agreed to them. He’d sign on as long as the money was good and then concentrate on the details. He used the same name he had always used and it didn’t take long for Loki to go from a shadow figure only taking jobs by recommendation to one of the most highly paid and highly used assassins in the industry. Crime lords, government officials, domestic offenses; he didn’t care. It was one of the things that made him so popular to hire. He was versatile and had a resume no one could match.

Anyone could find him through the moniker ‘Walker’ in the dark corners of the internet where crime thrived. Loki had been using the name since he’d first gotten into the business and saw no reason to change. It was innocuous, forgettable, and easy to blend in with. There was no reason for something ridiculous and flashy like ‘Deadpool’ or ‘Black Widow’. His job was all about discretion. Why would he need a name that only made him stand out more?

There were very few jobs that he _wouldn’t_ accept, to be completely honest. Jobs that had clearly been put out there by terrorist organizations, for example, were ones he stayed well clear of. He refused to take a hit on anyone who was too high profile, like the president or the pope. He didn’t need that kind of stress. Crime lords and wall street executives, even generals or judges, he didn’t have a problem with. He just had to make sure he could do the job and still get out of there. He had no desire to die just yet. When he was contacted about a job on the Merchant, he nearly turned it down for exactly the same reasons.

When the criminal element of society began moving along with the technology of the day and moving operations onto the web, the Merchant had been there to make it all possible. Though he hadn’t become very widely known until the last few years, the Merchant ran the underworld, in a manner of speaking. He wasn’t a crime lord exactly, but he had fingers in just about every pie there was to put fingers in. He could get anyone anything or put them in contact with someone else who could. He was a go-between, taking a cut of the profit right off the top in return for providing electronic protection. He had several operations purely his own, word was, but no one could say which of the many, many criminals and syndicates out there belonged to him. He was intensely private.

This made him a man with many enemies, of course, but many allies as well. Taking him out would be dangerous not only in the contract itself but in the aftermath, not to mention how difficult it would be just to get the job done. No one knew who the Merchant was. His face was a complete mystery. He was a shadow everyone had heard of but no one knew. Well, no one but the individual who had contacted Loki.

The man who hired Loki for the job claimed to be a member of the Merchant’s inner circle. He would give Loki a place and a time where the Merchant would be so that Loki could take him out. It was suspicious at best, but Loki found himself not really caring. Maybe he’d just reached the point where things didn’t matter quite as much as they used to. He hadn’t been lying when he’d told Anthony he couldn’t imagine going back to his old life. It was true. Nothing felt fulfilling anymore. Nothing felt as if it were worth getting out of bed for.

Loki took the contract.

In less than a week he was back in the United States, in Malibu of all places. He idly mused that Anthony would have liked the area, since he’d always been a fan of the beach, before pushing Anthony from his mind. He was getting better at not dwelling on the younger man, but that did not mean it didn’t still hurt when he did enter Loki’s thoughts.

The Merchant was staying in a house that overlooked the ocean, atop a large cliff. There were a great many windows in the house and Loki’s lips curled up in amusement. Perhaps the job wouldn’t be so difficult after all. The grounds, too, were expansive. There weren’t any neighbors around to hear the gunfire and plenty of places to hide. For a man who thrived on the criminal element, the Merchant certainly was taking a lot of liberties with his own safety. Perhaps he thought his mystery would keep him protected. He should have been more careful about who he told his true identity to.

Loki settled down on a bluff near the house, hidden behind some light shrubbery. It would be enough to obscure his presence but not enough to obscure his line of sight. He lay in the dirt, watching the windows of the house through his scope. There were a few lights on, revealing the clean, modern lines of the interior, but it was clear no one was home. That had been his intention, though. Easier to get into place when there was no one there to keep an eye on things. His employer had, after all, mentioned the Merchant’s lack of security staff.

He’d been lying there for just over an hour when the headlights of a car flashed along the winding driveway back to the house. Loki could have ended it right then, he supposed. He could have shot out a tire and let the crash take care of the rest, only gone to check to make sure his target was truly dead. Curiosity, though, stayed his hand. He wanted to know who this Merchant was, though he had never wondered before. He wanted to see what the Merchant was like in his own environment before he ended the man’s life.

The car disappeared into an underground garage, Loki only managing to spot that it was a flashy, new sports model with two figures inside. He’d kill the witness, too, just to be on the safe side, and bill his client extra for the trouble.

Lights flickered on throughout the house moments before a woman appeared in Loki’s line of sight. She was slender and likely considered beautiful to those who actually liked women. Her red hair tumbled over one shoulder as she bent to slip out of her tall heels. Between those and the sapphire gown she wore, it was obvious that she and her partner had just come back from an event of some kind. She came closer to the windows then, perhaps checking her makeup.

Alarm bells went off in Loki’s head the moment he saw her face, though. He knew that face. He _hated_ that face, had stared at it for hours after the first time he’d seen it. This was the woman who always appeared on Anthony’s arm, or had for such a long time at least. Had she moved on? Or was the Merchant-A weight slammed down onto Loki’s back, hands grasping his wrists and twisting to make him drop his rifle. His face was forced into the ground, his silver mask the only thing that kept him from eating dirt.

Loki grunted and writhed, attempting to throw his attacker off, but it did no good. He wasn’t even sure how someone could have managed to sneak up on him. He aimed a kick at the assailant as he was dragged to his feet. There was a muffled whoosh of air as his heel connected with the other man’s stomach, but it didn’t give him any opportunity to wriggle free. His hands were zip-tied together behind his back and then he was being hauled forward towards the house, the man grabbing Loki’s rifle on the way but left the rest of his equipment behind.

Loki struggled the entire way, but he hardly remembered the walk to the house. His mind reeled with implications. He was missing so much information. He didn’t know how to prepare. All of his running had brought him to the very thing he was trying to avoid. That, or it had brought him to his death, possibly both.

In a desperate bid to distract himself, Loki turned his attention to the man dragging him through the hallways of the Merchant’s house. He was dressed in black leather with a face mask and goggles. His long, dark hair hung loose to about his chin and his left arm gleamed metallic. A red star was painted on his shoulder. Loki had heard rumors of this man, but honestly hadn’t believed them to be true. The Winter Soldier worked for the Merchant. Just the thought of it made discomfort curl in Loki’s gut.

They didn’t encounter the woman again as they moved through the mansion. Loki couldn’t be sure if that was by design or simply by happenstance. The Winter Soldier dragged him into a plush office, forcing him down on his knees beside the chairs that sat before the desk. For the first time in over eight years, Loki set his eyes on Anthony.

He was older than he had been the last time Loki had seen him in person, of course. He’d become a man, instead of just a boy, finally growing into his body. He’d lost the last traces of baby fat, his muscles showing even through the bespoke suit he wore as he poured himself a scotch from the side table. He hadn’t looked up when they entered, but his eyes were cold when he finally did turn to them. He toasted Loki with his scotch before leaning one hip against his desk.

“So, you’re the man who came to kill me, huh? Bad luck for you.”

Behind him, in a place of prominence, basked in light from an overhead bulb, sat the emerald choker Loki had once given him.

“You kept it,” Loki breathed, and Anthony stiffened, eyes widening. “I didn’t think you’d still have it.”

Anthony set his scotch aside quickly and knelt in front of Loki, his hands trembled as he reached out for Loki’s mask. The Winter Soldier flexed his grip on his gun as if warning Loki not to do anything stupid. Anthony’s fingers hovered on the edges of Loki’s mouth and it seemed almost as if they both held their breath. Honey-colored eyes searched a face they couldn’t see, all of the coldness that had been there before had vanished. There was a moment frozen in time and then Anthony pulled the mask away.

“I would _never_ try to kill you,” Loki swore before Anthony even had the mask all the off his face. “Never you.”

Anthony swayed forward and, for a split second, Loki thought the younger man would kiss him. Then the genius’s face hardened instead and he turned away, returning to his desk and his scotch.

“And hiding outside of my house with a sniper rifle after _years_ without contact is how you try and show it, huh? You used to be a better liar.”

Loki balked.

“No! I took the contract not knowing it was _you_. Had I known-“

“What? You would have run the other way? Hidden like you have since you just fucking _vanished_ and left me on your brother’s couch? I looked for you, you know, constantly. I thought at first that you were just staying away because of Howard but then… Howard’s been dead for _five years_ and you never came back. I thought you were dead, that he’d managed to _kill you!_ ”

Loki gaped for a moment before anger flared up within him. He snarled.

“Was this before or after you found someone new?”

Anthony recoiled as if he’d been struck.

“What?”

“Did you think I would not know? Did you think because I was _running_ and _hiding_ that I would forsake you completely?” Loki made a wounded sound and silently cursed himself for letting even that much slip through. “Why should I have come back when you had that woman on your arm? Clearly, you did not feel for me what you had claimed to.”

Anthony looked aghast.

“You stayed away because of _Pepper?_ No, you’ve got it all wrong! There was never anything between Pepper and I!”

“The sex tape the two of you made certainly suggests otherwise.”

Anthony made a frustrated sort of noise as he ran a hand through his hair, mussing it up into something far closer to the way his hair had always used to be.

“That was fake, Lo,” he said, sounding tired and defeated as he sank down across from the contract killer once more. “It was for Howard’s benefit, nothing more. He kept… He’d hire escorts and lock me in rooms with them,” he confessed, avoiding meeting Loki’s gaze. “Thank God their loose morals didn’t extend so far as to rape for money, right? I met Pepper at a strip club he made me go to. We made a deal, to help each other out. She’d been to school for business and needed to pay off her student loans and I needed to trick my dad into thinking I had even the slightest interest in women, in anyone who wasn’t _you_.”

Loki wanted it to be true. He _ached_ for it to be true.

“I never took another,” he swore. “I never even considered it. I did consider killing her, though, for taking you away from me.”

Anthony shuffled closer, his hands moving to cup either side of Loki’s face. Loki wished his own hands were free so he could take Anthony into his arms.

“No one could _ever_ take me away from you, Loki. I will _always_ be yours.”

“Someone is trying,” Loki growled, leaning forward into Anthony’s touch. “Whoever hired me is after your life. I will take theirs instead, I promise you.”

Anthony pressed a chaste kiss to his lips.

“Tomorrow, please. Tonight I just want to have you back.”

Loki felt himself melt a bit.

“Anything, Anthony. Anything for you.”

His insides were impossibly raw and a part of him was still waiting for all of this to be yanked out from beneath his feet. Anthony’s hands stroked across his cheeks and neck soothingly as he turned his head to address the Winter Soldier, eyes never leaving Loki.

"Mach ihn los."

"Er ist eine Gefahr."

"Nicht für mich."

Loki was able to identify the language as German, but it wasn’t one of the many in his repertoire. Whatever it was that had passed between them, the Winter Soldier didn’t seem to like it. He did, however, pull out one of his many knives and cut the ties holding Loki’s arms behind his back. Loki was pulling Anthony closer moments later, clutching him as if his life depended on it. He buried his face in Anthony’s neck.

“I have questions,” he said, even if he had no intentions of asking them yet. Like Anthony said, that could wait.

“I’ll tell you anything you want to know.” Anthony pressed another soft kiss to Loki’s lips before drawing away and standing, pulling Loki up with him. “Come on. When was the last time you slept? Jesus, Lo, I could go shopping at Costco with the bags under your eyes.”

Loki couldn’t help the slightly mad grin that slipped across his face.

“I will sleep plenty well with you at my side.”

Tony beamed.

“I’ve missed you.”

Loki’s eyes softened as he leaned against the younger man.

“You never will again.”

.

..

…

..

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Loki woke still curled around Anthony, pressing as much of their bodies together as humanly possible. He curled his arms tighter around the younger man to pull him impossibly closer and tucked his nose into Anthony’s hair. Even after so much time, Anthony’s scent had hardly changed. The genius hummed happily.

“So it wasn’t a dream, then,” he mumbled sleepily. “That’s good.”

“Have you had dreams of me coming back before?”

“Too many,” Anthony confessed, “but I don’t think I have to worry about that anymore.”

He rolled over in Loki’s arms, pushing the killer onto his back so he could splay himself across Loki’s chest and tangle their legs together under the sheets. Loki twined their fingers together and brought Anthony’s hand up to kiss his knuckles.

“Never.”

Anthony let out another pleased hum and propped his head up in Loki’s chest to stare at him, eyes half-lidded and full of warmth.

“So tell me what you have been doing since you left.”

“I spent several years in Asia, before Howard died. Many of the cities there are large and over-populated. They are easy to hide in. I stayed there until the accident and Howard’s men attacked. He did promise that they would come for me if anything ever happened to him.”

Anthony stiffened in his arms.

“He had people waiting for that?”

Loki grimaced.

“It is possible I threatened him in my anger at being forced away from you.”

Anthony was trembling in his arms.

“I didn’t know. I’m so sorry, I didn’t know!”

“Shhh,” Loki soothed. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I was the one who let my anger get the best of me.”

Anthony pushed himself up, wearing a pained expression.

“You don’t understand. I-Promise me you won’t be mad? I can’t-I can’t lose you after just getting you back.”

“You won’t,” Loki said as he sat up and pulled the genius back into his chest. “Whatever it is, I could no more bear to leave you than you could bear to have me leave.”

“I’m the reason Howard died,” Anthony confessed in a rush. “I didn’t kill him! You hadn’t wanted me to but I couldn’t _take_ it anymore, Lo! You have to understand. It was like I could never escape him and I’d already started making all sorts of contacts trying to find out where you’d gone so I just… I got in touch with an organization, a bad one. They had a history with my dad and I knew they could get it done. I hired them. To kill Howard. I arranged for the crash to happen. It was no accident. I’m the reason Howard’s people came after you. If I had known, though, I would have never done it, I swear!”

Loki pulled him in close, tucking the genius’s head under his chin and rocking them slightly as he processed this new information. Anthony may not have directly killed Howard, killed both of his parents, but he’d still been the one to make it happen. And now Anthony was, what? A crime boss with one of the most legendary assassins of all time working for him? Things weren’t quite adding up.

“Start at the beginning,” Loki croaked, shaken even though he tried not to show it and upset Anthony further. “Tell me everything.”

They had avoided all of these topics the night before, but they had to be spoken of eventually. With threats looming over Anthony’s head, Loki would prefer it to be sooner rather than later. He wanted to know exactly what Anthony had become, too, in his absence.

“Howard’s people showed up to collect me from Thor’s place,” Anthony started, voice muted. “It’d taken them a while to track me there but they were tasked with taking me to another apartment Howard had already set up. I wasn’t allowed to go back to the dorms. Apparently, Howard figured out that someone there was helping me slip his guards from time to time. There was nothing Thor could do.

“Howard wanted me isolated, so he did his best to make that happen. I wasn’t allowed to see or talk to anyone who wasn’t a professor outside of my classes. But Rhodey and I passed notes through a girl he used to date in one of my classes. Howard told the school there had been a threat to SI or something and that’s why the guards were there. I was surprised he even bothered with an excuse. Anyway, I got in touch with Thor that way too, which kept him from storming the apartment to get me out. He still wasn’t happy about it, though.

“Luckily, I was still able to have access to the labs at school. Unlike on my laptop, I didn’t have a guard staring over my shoulder the entire time while I used those. The rumors about Ty had reached me, of course, and I _know_ that was you, don’t try to deny it.”

Loki hummed and nodded.

“I wanted to remove at least one difficulty from your life and it gave me an outlet for my rage. I am sorry my actions led to the situation you were placed in. I failed to protect you.”

“You were as trapped as I was, which was part of why I set out to try and find you. I needed to know you were okay. I’d never been so glad that SI was a weapons company. Once I started thinking about it I realized that I already had all the contacts I needed. All I had to do was reach out to some of SI’s shadier business partners and I would already have an in. I started trading information and favors to get myself deeper. It wasn’t long before I was working with smugglers as far away as Africa. I knew all the right people and I could get in anywhere.”

“So that is how you became the Merchant.”

In truth, Loki still hadn’t quite believed it yet. _His_ Anthony as the shadow hands working throughout the underworld. Part of him found the thought highly exciting, but there was still trepidation there, those old feeling coming back from when Anthony had asked Loki to kill Howard so they could be together. Anthony was no longer a child, to be sure, hadn’t really even been one then, but Loki still could not shake the desire to protect him from the evils of the world.

“Not at first, really. At least not to the extent of the Merchant now. I’m not even sure when exactly that transition happened, to be honest. I guess I just realized that I wouldn’t be able to do anything if someone betrayed me or didn’t hold up their end of the deal. I needed people of my own.”

“No one is entirely certain of what all you have under your control. You’ve done well.”

Because he had, even if Loki wasn’t completely comfortable with the role his Anthony had taken on. He needed to know the dark corners of it before he could accept it. He would love Anthony in any form, he knew, but he was loath to think that he had turned the genius into the same kind of monster he was.

“It’s not as extensive as you might think. I have a few operations that go all the way to the ground but I’ve mostly been getting by manipulating others into doing what I want. I collect favors and cash them in as needed.”

Loki tilted Anthony’s face up so he could kiss him on the lips, slow and easy to show that Loki still cared. It seemed that some of Anthony’s truths would never change and Loki found comfort in them.

“We can talk more of that later. Tell me about the car crash.”

“I’d been acting as a go-between for a man named Klaw and a buyer for a few rare items he had. I’d dealt with Klaw before plenty of times but the buyer was new. They went by the name HYDRA. At the time I didn’t realize who they were but after some digging I found out they’d been around for quite a while, skimming just under the radar. They have affiliations that go back further than WWII as a world-wide crime organization. I hadn’t stopped thinking about Howard’s death since you left and things were just getting worse. I’d met Pepper by then so he at least wasn’t throwing whores at me left and right but… I couldn’t _breathe._ I knew that as long as he was alive, things wouldn’t change.

“I found out that HYDRA had a number of run-ins with the SSR over the years, who Howard had done a lot of work with. It wasn’t much of a leap to figure out there would be a grudge between them. So I reached out to them again once the deal with Klaw went through, said I had another client with access to Howard Stark but without the resources to take him out and would they be interested. Clearly, they were. I jumped the gun a little, though. I was still in my early days, technically, and I so badly wanted it done. I underestimated them.”

“They betrayed you in some way?”

“No. No, they did the job, obviously, and did it for cheap, too. They were more than happy to take advantage of the opportunity to get rid of Howard. They were deeper than I’d ever been, though, at that point. Their ties back to WWII? They’d been led by the _Red Skull_ , then.”

Loki’s brows furrowed.

“That should mean something to me, I know, but I do not know what it is.”

Anthony let out a huff of air and actually cracked a grin.

“Still don’t know anything about Cap, huh? The Red Skull was basically his arch nemesis.”

“Outside of the comic books, you mean.”

Anthony rolled his eyes.

“Yes, outside of the comic books. I don’t remember you being this much of a troll before, you know.”

Loki let a smile slip onto his face.

“Perhaps I am just that pleased to have been reunited with you.”

They kissed again before Anthony pulled away, sobering.

“You aren’t angry, then? Because there’s more to the story but that’s pretty much it for how I was involved in Howard’s death.”

Loki sighed and focused on his hands where they ran up and down Anthony’s sides.

“I will not pretend to be pleased by it, but you were not wrong. I do not believe that Howard Stark would have ever stopped. You had no choice. I am only sorry that I could not have been there to stand with you through it, though I suppose that it would not have come to that point if I was able to be there,” he sighed. “It is a lot to think about. I will need time to absorb it all, but I assure you, this changes nothing of how I feel for you.”

The relief on Anthony’s face was palpable.

“I love you,” he blurted, eyes a little bit desperate.

“I love you, too,” Loki soothed. “Now tell me the rest of this story of yours. You discovered after the fact that HYDRA had been led by Red Skull before. Who led them after his defeat?” He paused. “He _was_ defeated, yes? I’m remembering that correctly?”

Anthony grinned and kissed him quickly.

“Yes. Cap took care of him. And I actually found out about that before they did the job, just after I’d already set it up. I couldn’t find who is leading them now, though I think they actually have several leaders with different agendas, each doing their own thing. Their manifesto has this whole, ‘multi-heads’ deal like with a hydra monster from myth. I do know some of the things they’ve been getting into, though. It’s nasty stuff; human experimentation, brainwashing, weapons to cause damage on a _global_ scale. I was able to find even more after they sent James to take out Howard and I was able to get my hands on him.”

“James?”

“The Winter Soldier. His real name is James Buchanan Barnes, not that I expect you to realize who _that_ is, either, considering you didn’t even know who Steve Rogers was before I told you.”

His expression was playful and Loki responded in kind, rolling them over so he could nip at Anthony’s neck in warning.

“Are you going to enlighten me, then? Seeing as this is clearly something you think I _should_ know, or you would not have mentioned it in the first place.”

Anthony canted his hips upwards to rub against Loki and Loki was suddenly _very_ aware of all the years between now and the last time they’d been able to take pleasure in one another’s body.

“He was Steve Rogers’s best friend even back before the war. He died falling off a train on a mission, or so the world believed.”

Loki licked the skin of Anthony’s neck.

“I take it that isn’t what happened.”

“HYDRA found him, I guess. I’m not really clear on that part. They pulsed electrical waves through his brain to wipe him so they could replace everything with their own training and brainwashing. He doesn’t remember much, bits and pieces mostly. I’ve dug up some more information and discovered more that way but… He spent a bit of time in Russia and I haven’t found a thing on that.”

Tan hands slid into Loki’s hair and pulled him up for another kiss. This one was messier than those that’d come before. They were both starving for what they hadn’t had in so long.

“How has he survived for so long?”

“Like I said earlier, HYDRA’s into human experimentation,” Anthony gasped as Loki ground down against him, nothing between them but Anthony’s sleep pants and Loki’s briefs. “He got plenty of that and they kept him cryogenically frozen between missions, for the most part, fucking pieces of shit.”

Loki bit his lip between kisses.

“Language.”

Anthony pouted.

“Well, they _are_.”

Loki chuckled.

“But you have him now, yes?”

“I stole him,” Anthony said with a beaming grin, all but preening. “They didn’t deserve him and I made sure they couldn’t track it back to me. He’s safe here and he’s loyal, especially since he started getting more of his memories back. He keeps me safe, too.”

Loki kissed his way down Anthony’s body, revisiting old scars he knew like the long line across his ribs and spending time getting to know the new ones. He pushed Anthony’s sleep pants down off his hips.

“Well, an accomplishment like that deserves a reward, don’t you think?”

.

..

…

..

.

Sometime later, Loki honestly hadn’t been paying attention, the Winter Soldier walked into the bedroom as Anthony writhed on Loki’s cock and didn’t even blink.

"Stane ist hier. Er fährt gerade vor der Tür vor."

Anthony and Loki growled at the same time, though Loki followed his own up by sinking his teeth into Anthony’s shoulder and turning Anthony’s into a whine.

"Kann das nicht warten?"

"Es ist Stane."

Anthony made a noise of frustration.

“Can you not _see_ I’m in the middle of something?” Then, in German again, "Halte ihn hin. Ich werde gleich unten sein. Setzte Pepper auf ihn an oder was auch immer."

"Sie ist letzte Nacht gegangen."

"Dann _lass dir etwas einfallen._ "

The Winter Soldier left. Loki mouthed along Anthony’s jaw.

“Do you have to leave?”

“Not yet. A business partner from SI just arrived. James will stall him.”

Loki wanted to ask who this partner was, why he was just showing up at Anthony’s house as if it were a normal thing, but he wasn’t about to waste any more of the time they had. He captured Anthony’s lips with his own as he adjusted his angle and pounded into the younger man relentlessly. He reached between them with one hand to take hold of Anthony’s cock and jack him off in time to his thrusts. Anthony moaned loudly into his mouth.

They finished up quickly and Anthony rolled out of the bed to clean himself up and put on something presentable. Loki eyed the sleep pants on the floor and grinned before slipping into them. He left his chest bare and his hair sex-mussed. After so long without, there was going to be nothing that could make him hide the signs of his relationship with Anthony ever again. Anthony emerged from the bathroom just minutes later and stopped short, staring. He was dressed in worn jeans and a tank top stained with grease. It was a good look on him, especially considering how many of Loki’s love bites were left on display.

“Are those my pants?”

Loki grinned.

“I didn’t bring a spare change of clothes with me, thought I’d just borrow yours.”

Anthony licked his lips.

“I’m am completely, absolutely on board with this plan. In fact, how about we just never go and pick up the rest of your stuff and you wear my clothes forever?”

“If only it were practical, my love.”

Anthony grinned and tilted his head up as he approached to beg for a kiss. Loki, of course, gave it to him.

“Are you going to come down with me?”

There was a question in Anthony’s eyes, about whether or not they were still hiding, if Anthony could finally show him off to the world. Loki kissed him again.

“I should like nothing more.”

Anthony’s grin was positively radiant. They kissed a bit more before managing to tear away from each other long enough to head downstairs. Their hands, however, remained firmly linked together. Anthony all but brimmed with giddy energy and Loki couldn’t seem to keep his smile off his face as a result. They descended the stairs that led to the main level of the house with no sign of James anywhere. An older man stood in the living room, however, bald and towering. His eyebrows rose as he turned to look at them and caught sight of Loki.

“Tony,” he cried in greeting, a grin spreading across his own face. “What is this, my boy?”

The hair on the back of Loki’s neck stood on end and tension swept through his body. Anthony glanced at him before turning back to the other man.

“Obie, I wasn’t expecting you.”

Obie chuckled.

“Clearly.”

“This is Loki. Loki, this is Obadiah Stane. He was my dad’s partner pretty much since the company started. He’s been a huge help to me taking over after the accident.”

Stane held out a hand for Loki to shake in greeting.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m afraid I have some business I need to speak to Tony about.”

Loki smiled wanly back at him, shook his hand, and then wrapped his arm around Anthony.

“Of course. I’m sure a company such as Stark Industries has a lot that needs to be done in order to keep it running. I hope nothing bad has happened.”

“No, not at all. Just some minor things that need Tony’s attention, is all.”

Every inch of him was sending off signals for Loki to leave, but they went wholly and purposefully ignored. Anthony wrapped his arm around Loki’s waist in turn to guide him through the house.

“We can talk in the living room, Obie. J, mind ordering us up some breakfast? I feel like French toast.”

“Of course, Sir,” a disembodied voice rang out from above.

Stane followed after them with a frown as Loki looked around to attempt to identify the source of the voice.

“What was that?”

“Oh, my God! Have I not told you about JARVIS?”

Loki’s brow wrinkled in confusion.

“Your butler?”

Because of course Anthony had spoken to him of his childhood butler before. He’d practically worshiped the old Brit. Loki had a sneaking suspicion that Jarvis and Anthony’s Aunt Peggy were the only reasons he had any happy childhood memories. Howard and Maria Stark certainly hadn’t done much to provide any.

“Yes and no? JARVIS is an AI I built after the human Jarvis passed away. It has all his voice codes and everything. He’s a learning AI like DUM-E, you remember DUM-E, right, but way more advanced. He runs the house and pretty much my entire life.”

“As ever, Sir, you flatter me. I have ordered breakfast to be delivered in the next forty-five minutes.”

Loki’s heart sank.

“Of course I remember DUM-E. I’m so sorry, Anthony. What happened?”

Anthony pulled him down on a white couch and curled into Loki, tucking his head under the older man’s chin. Stane watched it all, his expression morphing into one that was absolutely flummoxed as he settled into a chair.

“Cancer,” Anthony confided. “It was already stage four by the time they found it. There was nothing that could be done. He went quickly, though, so at least there was that.”

Loki cradled him, pressing a kiss into Anthony’s hair.

“I, uh, hate to interrupt,” Stane cut in, “but I think I’ve missed something.” He chuckled. “I had my suspicions when the two of you came downstairs but… what exactly is going on between you two?”

Loki shot him a glare. It was clearly not the time. Anthony was upset. The genius, however, sighed and leaned into Loki a bit more.

“Loki is my boyfriend, lover, whatever you want to call it. He came over last night and, as I said, we weren’t expecting company.”

“No, of course not. I just… didn’t realize your preferences, I suppose.”

Anthony snorted.

“Oh, please, Obie. Like my dad didn’t bitch to you about it.”

Stane looked decidedly uncomfortable.

“He, perhaps, made some mention of it. I had honestly thought he was blowing a mere phase or misunderstanding out of proportion. You know how Howard could get.”

Loki could feel the way Anthony tensed against him, though it wasn’t visible.

“Yes, I know very well,” he said, then paused. “This isn’t going to be a problem, is it?”

His accompanying glare very clearly stated that if there _was_ a problem, it’d be Stane’s. Stane just held up his hands and chuckled again. It set Loki on edge.

“No, no, of course not. I was just surprised, is all. You’ve always rebuffed any of the advances I’ve seen, no matter the gender.”

Anthony’s gaze slid to Loki, a sly grin curling his lips. The last visages of pain and anger hadn’t disappeared, but they were easing, at least.

“I guess I just wasn’t interested.”

Stane glanced back and forth between them.

“I take it this isn’t just a one-night stand then? You two have been together for a while?”

Loki leaned down to kiss the smile from Anthony’s lips.

“You could say that,” he directed Stane’s way. “I don’t want to stand in the way of you two talking business, though. Please, carry on.”

Stane seemed uncomfortable when Loki didn’t move an inch, but Anthony was looking at him expectantly. He cleared his throat.

“I got an interesting call last night, from Jenner in Accounting.”

Anthony made an irritated noise and rolled his eyes.

“What’s that old codger want now?”

“He said you’d reallocated the budget again, dedicated more funds to the new prosthetics line.”

“And what’s wrong with that? Our prosthetics are _killing_ the market out there, Obie. We’ve changed the game completely. There isn’t another brand that can even come close. We have to stay on top of it if we don’t want to lose that advantage. You know the next phase is trying to adapt our adult prosthetics for children. If we can get the GrowPro line finished up so that kids don’t have to buy a brand new prosthetic every year or so… I mean, come on, Obie!”

“No, Tony, I get all that but that money has to _come_ from somewhere. We can’t just magic it up whenever you decide some area needs for funds.”

Anthony rolled his eyes.

“I _know_ that. I’m not some dumb kid anymore. I told Jenner specifically that I wanted it to come out of weapons development.”

Loki couldn’t quite tell if that was news to Stane or not, but it definitely didn’t please him.

“Stark Industries is a _weapons_ company, Tony.”

“No, it was _started_ as a weapons company. Our government contracts were a huge source of revenue that kept us going but even my dad had side projects he funded with them. Look, I’m not saying we should get rid of weapons entirely, Obie, but they shouldn’t be our focus. There is so much out there.”

“Like war? The situation in the Middle East-“

“Is not going to hinge on us!”

“How do you know? The atomic bomb, which your father worked on, need I remind you, was the solution to WWII! Without that, who knows where we would be today.”

“’A’ solution, Obie, not ‘the’ solution. Look, I’m not going to change my mind on this, okay? We need to be focused on the future and I don’t see weapons getting us there. Potential is just _sitting_ , waiting to be grabbed in so many industries. Green energy-“

“Oh, don’t tell me you’re on that again.”

Anthony sat up and forward, clearly disgruntled. Loki watched both him and Stane, cataloguing information but staying out of the whole thing as best he could.

“And why shouldn’t I be? The Arc Reactor-“

“Is something shiny to show investors, nothing more.”

“Not if it can be successfully miniaturized! You’re supposed to be the numbers guy, Obie. Just think of what SI could do if we were able to promise clean, affordable energy to _any country in the world_.”

“’If’ being the key word here. You can’t bank the future of the company on things that may never come to pass.”

“I can do it, Obie. You know I can.”

Stane heaved a sigh, running a hand over his band scalp.

“Maybe you can, Tony. In time, I have no doubt. I just don’t know that SI _has_ that time. Work on it on the side, like you have been. _If_ you can make it happen, that’s the time when we should be talking about this kind of thing. Right now, weapons manufacturing is the largest portion of the business. We can’t afford to lose that.”

Anthony pouted.

“There’s a difference between losing and cutting back.”

The smile Stane gave him was akin to what an adult would give an unreasonable child. It made Loki want to slit his throat.

“Alright, Tony,” he gave in. “I’ll talk to the Board about it, but don’t expect them to be happy. If you want to keep pulling this kind of thing, you’re going to have to show them something extra special. Maybe design a new missile that’ll recoup all those losses for the weapons department. After all, if they’re not working on it…”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s up to me to pick up the slack. What, the Jericho isn’t good enough for you?”

Stane’s expression changed instantly to one of admiration and glee.

“The _Jericho_ is a work of _art_ , Tony. You put out something else like that and I can promise you, the Board won’t be a problem. Now _that’s_ a money-maker.”

Anthony’s grin was loose and easy.

“Well, they do call me ‘the Da Vinci of Our Time.’ I’m sure I’ll be able to figure something out.”

Stane stood.

“Well, then, I guess that means my work here is done.”

Anthony stood to give him a hug, much to Loki’s distaste. He moved to stand at Anthony’s side.

“It was good seeing you, Obie. Next time call first, yeah?”

Stane chuckled.

“Well, I wouldn’t want to _interrupt_ anything,” he said, holding a hand out for Loki to shake again. “It was a pleasure meeting you.”

Loki had to force himself to take the offered hand and smile.

“Of course. A pleasure meeting you as well.”

He was lying through his teeth.

.

..

…

..

.

The Winter Soldier appeared again almost the moment Stane was out the door, take away containers of French toast in hand. He was every bit armed as he had been the night before when he’d captured Loki in the yard and wore the same deadpan expression.

“You got the food,” Anthony crowed, quickly relieving James of his burden and heading for the kitchen. “You’re the best!”

"Sie sind nicht vergiftet."

"Natürlich nicht! Matilda liebt mich. Ihr Restaurant ist sicher."

Loki was really starting to think he needed to learn German.

“What is the Jericho?”

Anthony glanced at him as he set the bags on the table before turning to grab silverware. He shrugged.

“A missile I built. The head splits out into multiple charges once it’s within a certain distance of the target so the damage is more wide-spread. It can take out an entire mountain range. I mostly only came up with it so the Board would quit breathing down my neck. Most of them are from Howard’s time, you know? I’ve only been able to replace one of them so far. They’re stuck on the notion that SI should deal is weapons and pretty much nothing but, no matter how many times we turn a massive profit in other fields.”

One of Loki’s eyebrows rose.

“So you _are_ trying to get rid of the weapons manufacturing. Why?”

Anthony pointed a fork at him.

“Reduce, not get rid of. _Again_ , there’s a difference,” he groused, setting out three spots at the table and distributing containers between them. He sighed. “Look, the less Stark Industries weapons there are on the market, the easier they are to keep track of. I could use that right now. As it is… there are people cropping up with my weapons who shouldn’t have them.”

He pulled out the chair at the head of the table and offered it to Loki, sitting in the chair beside him only after Loki sat. The Winter Soldier sat on the other side of him, reaching up to unstrap his mask and ignoring them both. The French toast smelled amazing.

“You haven’t been able to find where they’re coming from?”

“The weapons that have been cropping up aren’t just the standard handguns we offer to the public. There’s a terrorist organization called the Ten Rings, in particular, who has managed to get their hands on some pretty high-grade artillery. The only group SI legally sells that sort of thing to is the military and they’d report any thefts in a heartbeat. You remember Rhodey, right?”

Anthony shoved what might have been half of a piece of toast into his mouth.

“He’s a hard individual to forget.”

He sampled a piece of his own breakfast while Anthony chewed. It tasted amazing, too, with plenty of fruit and enough syrup to not completely drown every other flavor.

“He works for the Air Force,” Anthony went on as soon as his throat was clear again. “He doubles as SI’s liaison for any military contracts. If a shipment went missing there, I’d know.”

“But none have.”

“And any of the sales I’ve made off the books are kept with meticulous records. None of those are going missing, either.”

Loki frowned.

“Yet your weapons are still appearing where they shouldn’t be.”

"Es gibt einen Verräter," the Winter Soldier rumbled, licking his fork and moving on to a second container of French toast. "Er muss gefunden und beseitigt werden."

Anthony nodded in his direction.

“The only way to weed the traitor out is to bottleneck the weapons until they show their hand. They’ll get impatient, make a mistake, and that’s when I’ll have them.” Anthony’s grin was savage. “I’m looking forward to that.”

Loki’s cock twitched. For all his reserves about corrupting Anthony, he also could not deny that he found it profoundly attractive.

“There is also the need to find out who hired me to kill you. It’s going to become clear sooner rather than later that I didn’t succeed. Whoever it is may attempt to hire someone else.”

“James will be able to stop anyone who tries to get in here, but even he can’t cover me all the time,” Anthony nodded. “I’m still boggling over the fact that you took a job from an _anonymous_ client, like that’s a good idea in _any_ universe, and you didn’t even track down who they really were first. Were you doing that before?”

He shot Loki an accusatory glare. Loki dropped his eyes to his food.

“I have, perhaps, taken a few more risks as years have passed. My name has afforded enough of a reputation that no one has attempted to withhold pay, though there was an incident or two where a trap was laid out. The ones involved in those jobs were hunted down and taken care of.”

Anthony made a rude noise.

“And you’re supposed to be the professional. I am seriously going to screen all your jobs now that I have you back and I _can_. You have no idea how many times I wanted to offer to do it before. What’s your moniker?”

He seemed genuinely excited about it, too, all but wiggling around in his chair. _God_ , but Loki had missed him.

“Walker.”

Anthony froze.

“Wait. _You’re_ Walker? Like, _the_ Walker, contractor who will take practically any job and get it done?”

He swatted Loki none too gently when the older man nodded.

“’ _An incident or two’?_ Are you kidding me? You were practically trying to get yourself killed,” he cried before all the anger drained from his face and he just looked horrified. “Oh, my God, _were_ you? You thought I’d moved on and you-“

“ _No_ ,” Loki cut in firmly, standing and pulling Anthony’s chair away from the table enough that he could kneel before the man and cup his face with both hands. “No, I took those jobs because I could handle them. I might have been a little reckless but I _never_ sought to end things. I would not do that to you, my love.”

The Winter Soldier moved on to his third helping.

“You thought you’d lost me, though.”

Loki pulled him down to claim his mouth, to show him once again that Loki was there and he wasn’t going to disappear.

“Did you ever consider it?” he asked softly. “When you feared that your father had killed me instead of just letting me disappear, did you ever consider taking your own life.”

“No,” Anthony denied vehemently. “There was always a chance you were still out there, that I’d still get you back.”

Loki smiled and gently kissed him again.

“And so there was always the chance that I would get you back as well. Rest assured that I would never do anything to put that chance in jeopardy.”

Anthony all but threw himself into Loki’s arms as the Winter Soldier polished off the last of the French toast.

.

..

…

..

.

“So this is your lab then? It’s amazing,” Loki declared as he looked in every direction.

Anthony beamed at him, clearly brimming with pride.

“And I have a special treat for you, too. J, release the hounds!”

There was a moment’s pause and then a series of excited beeps and whirs from across the lab. Three metal contraptions on wheels came barreling towards the two. Loki instantly recognized the design of the bot in the lead. He’d only ever seen the mock-ups and schematics, but he _knew_.

“DUM-E?”

The bot whirred and refocused its optic lens to focus on him. Loki held a hand out towards it and all three of the bots seemed instantly fascinated, poking and prodding at his arm. Loki turned wonder-filled eyes toward their creator.

“You succeeded, I see. Who are the other two?”

“BUTTERFINGERS and YOU,” Anthony said, coming over to plaster himself along Loki’s side. “They’re my helper bots down here, though DUM-E gets a bit over-excited whenever a fire extinguisher is involved.”

Loki grinned.

“With you around, I’m not sure that’s a bad thing.”

DUM-E made an excited chirp and raced off, returning moments later with a yellow rubber ball. Anthony chuckled.

“Oh, now you’ve done it, Lo! They don’t ask just anyone to play fetch with them.”

He nudged Loki forward, not that the killer needed it, accepting the rubber ball easily. He tossed it gently across the lab and all three bots were off in an instant.

“They have good taste,” he observed, “like their creator.”

Their kiss was interrupted when the bots returned, YOU holding the ball up triumphantly. Loki lobbed it a second time.

“C’mon,” Anthony said, taking his hand and guiding him toward the room’s desk space, “let me show you what I’ve got. I’ll just need to send off a message really quick so someone can pick up your stuff and send it here.”

Loki had been staying in Dubai recently, which they’d already discussed. Given Anthony’s identity, he didn’t think there would be a problem getting everything through customs.

“I shall have to send a message of my own, as well, so that the woman guarding my flat does not put a bullet in the skulls of any of your people. She can handle packing everything up, as well. She’s the only one who knows where all my stashes are.”

Anthony frowned.

“Should I be jealous?”

“No more than I should be of your Pepper,” Loki teased.

The emails were sent off in short order, on holographic screens that utterly blew Loki’s mind, and Anthony brought up a series of windows with everything he had been able to figure out about the traitor in his midst. Loki sobered and frowned as he went through it all and Anthony occupied himself working on other projects for Stark Industries. It was some sort of full body, weaponized suit, the basis of which had been conceived at the end of a three-day inventing binge when he was supposed to be making actual body armor. Over an hour had passed before Loki slid one window in particular back in Anthony’s direction.

“Look at this. Is this date accurate?”

Anthony looked at the date he was pointing to, from nearly six weeks prior.

“Should be,” he said. “I couldn’t tell you what the date is today, to be honest, but JARVIS keeps track of all of the ingoing and outgoing calls. Why?”

“Because this is a transcript of a call you made to the Accounting department at SI, requesting a certain segment of files. Two days later, I was contacted for the first time to kill the Merchant.”

Anthony frowned, scrolling down the window.

“You think the two are connected… It could be a coincidence.”

Loki nodded.

“It could be.”

“But you don’t believe that.”

“No, it very well could be a coincidence. It’s just a bit too much of one to ignore.”

“A position in Accounting would give a smuggler the perfect opportunity to doctor the books and cover their tracks, but they wouldn’t have the authority to change existing orders or add new ones in order to get the additional product.”

“They’ve been able to hide from you all this time, darling. I doubt it’s just one person. Likely there’s someone on top pulling the strings and then others scattered about on the take. I would wager that there’s someone in Accounting helping them and that’s who tipped them off. If they thought you were closing in, it would make sense that they tried to get rid of you.”

“So we need to take another look at the files I asked for and see what was so important there. I didn’t notice anything the first time through but if they’d been doctored well enough or on the front end then I might not.”

Loki’s lips thinned.

“Or there may be an easier way to figure out who the traitor is, or at least the person at the top.”

Anthony gave him a long look.

“You’re going to point something out that’s extremely obvious and I’m going to kick myself for not seeing it earlier, aren’t you?”

Loki leaned over to kiss him on the cheek.

“You’ve been in the middle of this mess for too long, love.”

Anthony pouted.

“That’s a yes, then.”

“I was hired to kill the _Merchant_ , Anthony, not Tony Stark. If this is what triggered the job going out, then the traitor in your company is someone who knows you about the other half of your life. No matter what, the one who hired me knows you by both, or else they could not have directed me _here._ So tell me, love, how many people know your secret?”

Anthony’s expression contorted with rage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> "Untie him." = "Mach ihn los."  
> "He is a threat." = "Er ist eine Gefahr."  
> "Not to me." = "Nicht für mich."  
> "Stane just arrived. He's pulling up to the front door now." = "Stane ist hier. Er fährt gerade vor der Tür vor."  
> "Can't it wait?" = "Kann das nicht warten?"  
> "It's Stane." = "Es ist Stane."  
> "Stall him. I'll be down soon. Set Pepper on him or something." = "Halte ihn hin. Ich werde gleich unten sein. Setzte Pepper auf ihn an oder was auch immer."  
> "She left last night." = "Sie ist letzte Nacht gegangen."  
> "Then figure something out." = "Dann lass dir etwas einfallen."  
> "They contain no poisons." = "Sie sind nicht vergiftet."  
> "Of course not. Matilda loves me. Her restaurant is safe." = "Natürlich nicht! Matilda liebt mich. Ihr Restaurant ist sicher."  
> "There is a traitor." = "Es gibt einen Verräter."  
> "They must be found and put down." = "Er muss gefunden und beseitigt werden."
> 
> I know! I know! It took far too long to update this one, but I've n trying to whittle down my active fics. Good news! I've gone from 15 to 7. This is improvement. Besides, you didn't have to wait as long as Loki and Tony did. I don't plan for updates to be so far apart after this. 
> 
> You may notice that there is now a number for the projected finish of this fic. It's just a prediction and may change, but that's where I'm setting it for right now.
> 
> I hope you have enjoyed the new chapter and I look forward to hearing your thoughts!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki traumatizes a Crazy Cat Lady.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE NOTE! For all instant translations, please hover your cursor over the German for a moment and a translation will appear. For mobile users, translations will be provided in the end notes.

James Rhodes

Virginia Potts

Harold Hogan

Christine Everhart

Maya Hansen

Steven Strange

Whitney Frost

Frank Castle

Justin Trudeau

Helen Cho

Aldrich Killian

That was the list of people, not including Loki and James, who knew that Anthony and the Merchant were the same person. It was a short list, but Anthony didn’t have many friends he could trust. Most of them were more business contacts than anything else, people who he had helped and would help him in turn. Christine Everhart’s younger sister had spent three months in Europe, the teenage girl promising a high payload on the slave market.

Christine had used her skills as a reporter to get herself to where she could contact the Merchant. Anthony, the bleeding heart, had tracked her sister down and brought her home. He’d also given Christine enough inside information to take down that entire slave ring. Ever since then, he’d given her ‘anonymous tips’ for breaking crime stories. Loki knew her from her prime time news spot. The others all had similar stories. Dr. Cho was Anthony’s personal physician while Happy Hogan organized his security on every level.

The fact that one of these trusted few had betrayed Anthony was infuriating to Loki. As if Anthony hadn’t already suffered enough at the hands of his father and that disgusting pig Stone. Loki would make sure this person would suffer greatly for their offense. They didn’t deserve his mercy and they certainly wouldn’t be getting it. Anthony wouldn’t exactly be trying to hold him back.

There was a particular viciousness to Anthony now that hadn’t been there before. He hadn’t exactly been naïve when Loki had known him, especially not by the end, but he’d been willfully ignorant. They hadn’t shared a good chunk of Loki’s life simply because Loki couldn’t run that risk. The less Anthony knew, the better. None of that stood in their way now. Now, if anything, it was Anthony with more secrets, not that he was keeping them from Loki.

Anthony knew all about Walker’s methods, which wasn’t much of a surprise. Walker was a pretty well-known name. The Merchant would have kept an eye on his movements. Hell, the Merchant had brokered more than just a couple of Walker’s jobs. To think that it was Anthony all along… They had wasted so much time.

The second morning after Loki’s arrival, Anthony presented him with an entirely new armory. Most of it was the standard stuff, just high-end Stark Tech. Anthony promised he had a whole line of custom items planned out, though. Loki insisted they wait until they had found the traitor. Anthony’s efforts were best spent on tracking down the person Loki would soon be sinking a knife into. The genius had seemed almost smitten upon hearing Loki utter those exact words.

“I’ve always thought your protectiveness was extremely hot,” he admitted. “It made me feel… cared for.”

Loki had given him a soft smile and pulled him into a hug.

“You were,” he said, “and you still are.”

All in all, being together with Anthony again was more than Loki could have ever dreamed it to be. Things weren’t like they had been before, but then that was only to be expected with all that had happened. They had both changed, in their own ways. The only downside, if Loki absolutely had to name one, was the Winter Soldier.

It wasn’t anything specific about James, not really. He was quiet, stayed mostly out of the way, and showed a fierce loyalty to Anthony. Those were things Loki could certainly appreciate. The problem, and it certainly was a problem, was the _familiarity_ between the two. James and Anthony were far too comfortable in each other’s spaces. Loki was not a fan.

Then there was the fact that James had spent so long with Anthony already. James had been here for _years_ where Loki had only gotten to spend a few months with Anthony before they’d been forced apart. It rankled Loki. It _burned_ him to know that the other had all that time with Anthony while Loki had to stay away. Not even had to. Loki could have come back any time after Howard had died but he’d believed the lies Anthony had spread for his father’s sake. Loki could only blame himself.

Just because Loki knew it wasn’t James’s fault didn’t mean he had to like it, though. James had a tendency of popping up whenever he felt there was something Anthony needed to know, no matter what Anthony and Loki were doing at the time. His inability to speak English was just as frustrating, since it so often left Loki lagging behind in the conversation, and of course, of course, James could _understand_ English just fine. Loki was working on it, but learning a new language took time and Loki didn’t even have to basics to start with. His dedication and effort were far better spent hunting down Anthony’s betrayer. In short, the only reason Loki hadn’t slid a knife between his ribs was because it would displease Anthony so thoroughly.

Besides, even Loki had to admit that James did an excellent job in securing the perimeter of Anthony’s location. He was meticulous and thorough. JARVIS was, perhaps, the only being who knew more about what happened in or around the mansion. He also had the admirable ability to disappear quite completely when anyone else entered the house. Obadiah came over with some frequency still, popping in to check on Anthony’s progress with various projects. Loki didn’t understand why he couldn’t just call.

“It’s just one of his quirks,” Anthony explained. “He’s always done it. I think he might be under the impression that if he calls, I’ll just put him on hold and ignore him forever.”

Loki raised an eyebrow.

“Would you?”

Anthony’s smirk gave him all the answer he needed.

“He’s more of a traditional kind of guy, doesn’t really understand my process. He tries, though. It’s just, he remembers when _all_ Stark Industries did was weapons, you know? He doesn’t get why we should do anything else. Any idiot can make an anti-aircraft missile, though. Check _these_ out!” He flipped the holographic screen around so Loki could see the blueprint he was working on the right way. “Portable, short-range propulsion units! They can attach to a soldier’s boots in combat, an activation would get them set up on a roof of a two-story building in less than three seconds. The infiltration capabilities are endless! Having trouble moderating the power, though… the kickback is a little much still. It makes them difficult to control.”

Loki smiled indulgently.

“You’ll get there,” he assured. “How are the searches going?”

Anthony waved his hand to bring up a whole new swarm of screens.

“JARVIS is tracking all of their electronic activity now, and working backwards to pick up anything they might have left behind. So far, nothing incriminating has shown up.”

“How could nothing be showing up for any of them? They’re the only ones who know about who you really are.”

“Besides you and James, yeah. Something will turn up, though. Nobody can get past JARVIS. If they’ve left their electronic signature anywhere, he’ll find it and let us know.”

Loki growled in frustration.

“If we could just narrow it down, I could go out and watch them, search their places.”

Anthony smiled at him, standing from his chair and sliding closer until he was pressed against Loki’s front.

“We’ll catch the traitor,” he promised. “I remember you being more patient than this.”

Loki heaved a sigh, wrapping his arms around Anthony’s waist.

“I just got you back, finally. The thought that someone is trying to take you away… I will cause them the sweetest of pain.”

Anthony stretched up on his tiptoes to kiss him softly.

“You’re sweet. I’m not going anywhere. You’re not going to lose me again, Lo.”

“No, I’m not,” Loki agreed. “I won’t let it happen.”

.

..

…

..

.

“Tony? Where are you?” a woman’s voice called through the house, just a couple of days after Loki’s arrival.

Loki ghosted behind her, scowling at the red-haired woman.

“Pepper Potts.”

She jumped, turning quickly and pressing a hand to her heart.

“You scared me! I guess I should be used to it by this point, considering James. You must be Loki. Tony hasn’t been able to shut up about you.”

Her smile was friendly, but Loki didn’t trust her for a heartbeat. She was on Anthony’s list, after all. She had just as many chances as any of the others to betray him. More, even, since she knew more about his operations and was more involved.

“Yes. This is the first time we’ve met face-to-face.”

“Sorry about that. I would have been around sooner except that Tony sent me around to collect your things.”

Loki felt a twinge of displeasure at the thought of this woman touching anything that belonged to him, touching _Anthony_. He forced his lips to curl into a pleasant, if bland, smile.

“I do appreciate the effort,” he told her. “I could not bear to part from Anthony again so soon after being reunited with him. The years have felt truly long.”

Pepper’s answering smile was much warmer and seemed more genuine than Loki’s had.

“You two are so sweet,” she gushed. “I’d honestly given up hope that the two of you would find each other again, I have to admit. It just seemed so farfetched. Tony had told me stories, of course, but they sounded too good to be true. But for you to be _here_ now…” she seemed to search for the right words before giving up. “I’m just so happy for you two.”

She did seem to actually be excited, which was befuddling to Loki. He didn’t quite understand it. What investment did she have in their relationship?

“Again, it is appreciated.”

Pepper continued to smile at him for a long moment before catching herself.

“Oh! Yes! Your friend had everything packed up by the time I got there, like you asked. There’s a storage container outside with everything in it. I figured it’d be easier than just dumping it all in the living room. This way you can take each piece wherever it needs to go,” she told him, leaning forward a little bit. In her high heels, she was almost at tall as Loki himself. “Tony’s told me about how you like your things a certain way. I thought you’d prefer to settle them in yourself.”

Loki fought down the urge to step backwards and away from her. He wasn’t intimidated, but his skin crawled just a bit at having her so close. It was distinctly different from his aversion to James. That was easily labeled, but this was a whole different beast.

“That was very thoughtful of you.”

Pepper waved the sentiment off.

“It’s what Tony pays me for. Is he down in the lab?”

“He said he had some projects to work on.”

“He’d better be working on the new interface he promised me three weeks ago,” she tutted, turning to head down there herself. “It’s bad enough he thinks he can get out of doing paperwork, I’m not letting him slack off just because he’s gotten a little busy.”

Loki’s metaphorical hackles rose. He’d seen Tony work on quite a bit since Loki’s arrival.

“I can assure you, he’s been working his hardest to get everything done that needs to get done.”

Loki would have actually found Tony’s amount of work irritating if he weren’t given free movement around the lab so they still got to spend time together. Pepper just sent Loki an indulgent look as she descended the stairs to Tony’s lab and pushed the door open. Tony was tucked in at his desk, hands flying.

“Hey, Pep,” he greeted without looking up. “J said you were here. Your trip go well?”

Pepper rolled her eyes.

“Yes, Tony, the red-eye flight you put me on to go halfway across the world, pack up Loki’s things in a single day, and then fly back went fantastically. It was very relaxing.”

“Good, good,” he said, clearly distracted. “You got everything?”

“Everything, Tony.”

“That’s what I love about you, Pep. Always thorough.”

Pepper wandered closer, looking over Tony’s shoulder at the screens while Loki continued to hover by the door. He wanted to observe their interactions for a bit without interfering.

“That, and because I’m one of the only people in the world willing to put up with you.”

Tony finally looked away from the projections with a pout marring his expression.

“Aw, Pepper, come on! Don’t be like that! You wound me!”

“You wound _me_ ,” Pepper shot right back, “when you promise me things and then play with your pet projects instead.”

Tony sputtered, pressing a hand to his heart.

“’Pet projects?’ Pepper, Pepper, Pep, no, no! This is the future!”

The look she gave him could not have been any more skeptical.

“You know I support you wanting to move the company more towards clean energy, Tony. You know that. And I’ll be happy to help you cut down anyone who stands in your way. Fuck them. That being said, it’s a little bit important that the company you run _now_ stays afloat in the meantime. How are we supposed to hide your other income if SI goes under?”

Tony scoffed.

“Oh, please,” he drawled, leaning back in his chair. “That threat stopped working on me ages ago. SI’s not going to go under.”

“It will if you don’t do any of the things I ask you to,” she threatened. “Do you think I ask for these things just for my own amusement?”

“I think you find amusement in making my life more difficult.”

“No, Tony, try that the other way around. Now, _when_ am I getting the updated targeting software? I want it before the Air Force presentation next month and you know it has to go through testing beforehand. There’s only so much wiggle room I can find. Don’t make me call Colonel Rhodes about this.”

Tony sent her a dirty look.

“You’re a cruel woman. You’ll have it in three days.”

Pepper smiled and dipped forward to kiss Tony’s forehead. Loki wanted to decorate the floor with her blood.

“Wonderful. Now, unless there’s anything else, I have a Peruvian drug cartel to put in their place. Will that be all, Mr. Stark?”

Tony grinned widely.

“That’ll be all, Ms. Potts. Give them Hell.”

Pepper’s smile turned vicious.

“They’ll think twice about trying to steal business from us again.”

Then she was heel-clicking her way across the floor. Anthony followed her with his eyes, lighting up when he spotted Loki near the door.

“Hey! Did you see your stuff?”

Loki crossed to him, laying a kiss on his lips to wipe away the one on his forehead.

“Not yet. Ms. Potts left a storage container outside so I could unload at my leisure.”

Anthony hummed and pulled him back in for another kiss.

“So it could wait an hour?”

Loki grinned against Anthony’s lips and he pulled Anthony out of his chair before pressing him down across his desk.

“Yes,” he purred. “I am absolutely certain it could wait.”

.

..

…

..

.

It was comforting to have his own things back, Loki had to admit. For one thing, he could only wear Anthony’s sweatpants for so long. For another, Loki only kept the items that meant a good deal to him. The bulk of his possessions were weapons or other tools of his trade. They were easily tucked away, along with a plain box Loki had hidden before Anthony got a look at it. Once everything was in place, Loki changed into a suit and tucked away only the minimum when it came to weapons. Anthony watched him appreciatively.

“I like getting to see this side of you,” the genius confessed.

Loki couldn’t help but kiss him once more.

“No more secrets.”

“No more secrets,” Anthony agreed. “You ready?”

Loki sighed, but straightened anyway. He examined himself in the mirror.

“As ready as can be expected. I don’t normally do infiltration except in small quantities. You have all the ID’s I’ll need?”

Anthony gestured to several plastic cards laid out on the dresser.

“No one will be able to tell they’re fake,” Anthony said with a smile, “mostly because they’re not. Congratulations. You are now a Stark Industries employee; Lyle Smith, from Internal Affairs.”

Loki picked up one of the cards to examine it, holographic features flashing in the lights.

“They will still try to hide things from me.”

Anthony groaned.

“I know, but I can’t get you in there as a new accountant, even an intern. I screen our accountants rigorously. They know when someone new is coming in.”

“They’ll know something is going on, at least.”

“Yeah, but there’s not much we can do about it. They’re gonna know no matter what we do. At least with this, I run random checks every so often. Some of the older employees will be used to it. They can spread the word that it’s not so unusual. It won’t do much, but maybe it’ll do at least a little.”

“We can hope.”

“Either way, you’re gonna do great. Bring me home somebody’s head, sweetheart.”

.

..

…

..

.

“Mr. Smith, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Frank Jennings, the head of the accounting department. I understand you’re to be given complete access.”

Loki gave Jennings a tight-lipped smile, one that didn’t hold a shred of friendliness. He was, after all, supposed to be a stiff from Internal Affairs.

“It’s just a routine check,” he assured, even if his words didn’t match his tone. “I’ll need access to your records and will be conducting private interviews with everyone in the department, yourself included.”

“Of course,” Jennings agreed, but with noticeably less brightness that before. “Anything you need.”

Loki took over a conference room with little fanfare, setting up the laptop Anthony had given him and settling in. He had a view of the entire accounting floor through the glass wall and a view of Malibu’s skyline directly opposite. He kept his back to one of the only two solid walls in the room. He’d barely gotten the computer up and running before the screen prompted him to connect to a video call.

“I see you made it,” Anthony said with a grin as soon as they were connected.

Loki scowled.

“You should fix the hole in your security.”

Anthony made an affronted noise.

“That hole was only there because _I_ made it for _you_. Nobody else could get through that way.”

“I don’t like the idea that someone could get in here to you.”

Anthony was three floors up in his own office. James was with him, hidden.

“Like I said, nobody else could. Trust me. I run tests all the time. You have no idea how many people I’ve hired to try and get into this place just so I can find the weak spots. If you’ll remember, I tried to hire Walker, too.”

Loki sniffed haughtily.

“I didn’t accept jobs that would pit me against you.”

Anthony appeared to melt a little.

“You’re adorable and I love you. Never change, Lo.”

The assassin grumbled.

“Let’s get started. I’ll be going over your security as soon as we’re finished.”

Anthony rolled his eyes, but still grinned at him.

“If you want, Lo. I’ll get you with Happy so you can talk to him, too.”

Harold “Happy” Hogan was Anthony’s head of security both for Stark Industries and for the Merchant. Loki still hadn’t gotten the details of the first meeting between Anthony and Happy, but he had a sneaking suspicion Happy had punched Anthony. He hadn’t met Happy yet, though, which meant he hadn’t decided whether or not the security head would die for the act.

“I would appreciate that.”

“First things first, then. Let’s get cracking on tearing my accounting department to shreds. Somebody there is helping whoever betrayed me and I want to know who it is. All the personnel files are in a folder on the taskbar. Just remember not to close the laptop while you conduct your interviews.”

“Of course,” Loki said with a grin, “how else are you supposed to troll through every scrap of the information they give me? JARVIS will be scanning each piece?”

“Each and every one. He’ll find the anomalies and flag them for me to look at.”

Loki hummed as he brought up the folder with all the files inside. He’d perused them already, in preparation, but he liked having all the information in front of him while he worked. It was easier to pin people down that way. It helped that Anthony hadn’t just provided the standard background check that most corporations would use. Stark Industries employees had every piece of their life looked into before they could get hired. There was no stone left unturned. Loki had to wonder how this bad apple had slipped through the cracks.

“Let’s start with Courtney Hillock,” he decided aloud.

Anthony’s brow furrowed.

“Courtney’s been on staff since I was, like, twelve. She used to keep lollipops in her desk so she had something to give me whenever I got dragged along by Howard. The only reason she hasn’t been promoted is because she’d never be able to crack down on someone to make them get their work done. Why do you want to start with her?”

“She’s only used a handful of sick days in that time, too, and all of her vacation days were submitted last minute when one of her pets passed away,” he said, his expression turning wicked. “I bet I can make her cry in less than ten minutes.”

There was a beat of silence from Anthony’s end of the call.

“I thought you _weren’t_ trying to make enemies.”

“I changed my mind. Maybe I can use this role to my advantage.”

Anthony sighed.

“I hope so. It’s on you to remind me to send Courtney some flowers to make up for all of this, though. And if she quits I’m gonna be pissed.”

“Of course,” Loki assured. “No lasting damage will be done to your precious little cat lover of an accountant. She will simply get my point across rather nicely. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have an accounting department to terrorize.”

The killer brought up another window to hide their video chat and stood, heading for the door. He snagged the first employee to walk by and gave him a menacing glare.

“Bring me Courtney Hillock. Tell her she has an interview with Internal Affairs that started five minutes ago.”

.

..

…

..

.

Loki dropped his briefcase unceremoniously in the foyer of Anthony’s house before proceeding inwards and throwing himself down face-first onto the sofa. A weight settled by his head moments later and he looked up to see Anthony grinning down at him, a glass of amber liquid in each hand.

“Please tell me that’s alcohol.”

Anthony’s grin only grew.

“Only the best for you, babe,” he promised.

Loki groaned but forced himself to sit up once again. He snagged one glass from Anthony’s fingers and sipped it with a satisfied noise. He pulled Anthony in to lean against the killer’s chest.

“You spoil me, my dear.”

Anthony settled in happily.

“I’m just glad to have you back,” he admitted sincerely, before his expression turned impish all over again. “So, want to tell me about your day?”

Loki scowled.

“It has become abundantly clear to me that I was never meant for office work. The _tedium_ is endless.”

Anthony snorted into his scotch.

“If you think accounting is tedious, you should try writing code sometime.”

“I think I shall leave that to the expert,” he retorted, pressing a kiss into Anthony’s hair.

The genius wiggled ever closer.

“Aw, you say the sweetest things,” he cooed. “I kind of like this 1950’s housewife routine, I have to admit. Greeting you with a drink when you get home from a long day at the office, listening to your day while you shower me with compliments and we cuddle. Maybe tomorrow I’ll wear a dress when you get back.”

Loki gave him a sidelong look.

“Please, don’t. You don’t have the legs for a dress, dear.”

Anthony made an insulted noise, but didn’t disagree.

“Well, there are always fantasies, I suppose,” he mused. “This whole office operation will hopefully be over sooner rather than later anyway.”

“Hopefully, yes,” Loki agreed. “I only made it through perhaps half of your staff today. Once I finish with the rest of them, I will narrow down those who raised a flag for me and bring them back for a round two.”

“Anyone you want me to go ahead and take a closer look at for you?” Anthony offered.

Loki considered it.

“Nothing I could say for certain…” he hedged. “However there was one… What do you know of Natalie Rushman?”

Anthony frowned in thought as he leaned against Loki.

“Not much off the top of my head, actually. Why? Do you think she’s involved?”

Loki sighed and shook his head.

“I can’t be sure. There’s something about her that doesn’t sit right, though. She’s too clean, and was much too calm when I spoke to her.”

Anthony smirked.

“What? She didn’t cry so she must be guilty? I love it. Make a note, J! First thing in the morning, we rip Ms. Rushman to shreds.”

“Noted, Sir.”

Loki raised one eyebrow.

“You plan to wait until morning?”

Anthony answered him with a kiss, reclaiming Loki’s scotch and setting it along with his own on the coffee table. His grin turned downright wicked as he slid onto his knees between Loki’s legs.

“I don’t have much of a choice, now do I?” he teased. “I have _other_ things to do tonight.”

Loki couldn’t possibly argue with that.

.

..

…

..

.

“So there’s something I want to throw out there,” Anthony said as they sat at the table eating Chinese takeout.

The Winter Soldier sat with them, forgoing chopsticks for a fork and practically inhaling six boxes of beef lo mein. Loki was still trying to figure out where Anthony found a Chinese restaurant that actually tasted authentic. He was pretty sure those noodles James was scarfing were hand-pulled.

“Did you find something?”

So far, Loki had given Anthony twelve employees to dig further into. One, it turned out, had just been served divorce papers, which was the source of his jitteriness. They were still digging, though, not willing to take any chances.

“Not much outside of the norm, though I do think you were onto something with that Rushman chick. There’s still _nothing_ on her.”

“Which makes her our most likely suspect, I would imagine. But I don’t think that’s what you’re aiming towards.”

Anthony grinned around his salt and pepper squid.

“I love how you know me so well,” he purred. “And you’re right. So far we’ve been concentrating on the mole in accounting who’s been covering things up and the people on my list. Here’s the thing, though. What if it’s somebody who _isn’t_ on my list? What if it’s someone who figured out I’m the Merchant without me knowing?”

The rice turned sour in Loki’s mouth and he struggled to swallow it down.

“How difficult would that be, exactly? As far as the underworld is concerned, there’s no way to track you. The only ‘Merchant’s that have been found have been fakes parading under your banner.”

Anthony cracked a twisted grin.

“It serves my purpose to let them run around for a little while before they’re caught, but no one could really be the Merchant but me. I can’t respect those who want to use my name for power when they’ve done nothing to earn it. They aren’t as smart as they think they are.”

"Bist du auch nicht," James cut in, joining the conversation as he rarely did in Loki’s presence. "Die richtige Person, in der richtigen Situation, wäre in der Lage dein Doppelleben zu entdecken."

Anthony scowled at whatever the Soldier said.

“Excuse you, there is only one certified genius in this house and it happens to be me. I am _exactly_ as smart as I think I am.  Wirklich James, woher dieser Pessimismus?  That being said, you are right about it being a possibility that someone could find out. Whitney and Strange both found out on their own.”

"Du hättest mich sie töten lassen sollen," James shot back in a surly tone.  "Ihr Interesse an dir ist verdächtig."

Anthony glared.

"Sie ist eine wertvolle Verbündete und sie ist loyal. Von ihr droht keine Gefahr,egal was du fortwährend behauptest. Außerdem werden wir sie noch einmal überprüfen. The point is, it could happen. It _has_ happened. It wouldn’t be easy, but it could happen." 

Loki had to tamp down his irritation. As soon as this traitor dilemma was taken care of, he swore, he’d throw a large chunk of his time toward learning German.

“Yes, but _how?_ Who should we be looking at?”

Anthony worried his bottom lip, clearly thinking.

“Worst case scenario, HYDRA’s finally figured out who stole their favorite soldier,” he mused, shooting a glance James’s way before turning back to Loki. “I doubt it’s them behind all this, though. They have plenty of their own assassins. Why would they outsource to you?”

“Perhaps they counted on me failing and didn’t want it tied back to them. As you said, I am a contract killer known for taking any job.”

Anthony hummed as he considered it, but then shook his head.

“No, I don’t think so. HYDRA likes to hide themselves away, for sure, but I think it’d be more their style to try to at least blackmail me into working for them before they tried to kill me. It’s definitely an avenue we’ll want to keep an eye on, though.”

“And who else might have the ability to figure out who you are?”

Anthony groaned and rubbed his hands over his face as he slumped back in his chair.

“I’ve been thinking about that and the number is depressingly high, given certain circumstances. I mean, all it’d really take is someone noticing just one little thing and following it to the end. Of course, there aren’t many people who could do that without me noticing and that’s where we can start narrowing the possibilities down. I’ve already started developing an algorithm. I’ll give it to JARVIS once it’s done and he’ll be able to get us the answers a lot faster than I could.”

Loki nodded.

“And in the meantime, we shall continue with our own avenues of investigation.”

Anthony beamed at him.

“That’s the plan, sugarplum!”

.

..

…

..

.

“Fucking SHIELD,” Anthony spat as he stomped his way upstairs from the lab. “They can’t keep their damn noses out of anything.”

Loki looked up from the tablet where he was looking over the last four employee files of who might be the mole in the accounting department.

“What did you find?”

Anthony made a dismissive gesture towards the tablet in Loki’s hands.

“Show him, J.”

The screen he’d been previously looking at was instantly replaced by a set of files along with Natalie Rushman’s picture, though without any warmth in her eyes. Loki looked over the information presented to him.

“Natasha Romanov?”

“AKA Natalia Romanova,” Anthony bit out, clearly pissed, “because apparently cover names should be ridiculously similar to your real name. She’s an ex-KGB agent who flipped a while back and now works for SHIELD. She’s a professional spy, the Black Widow.”

Loki scowled. He’d never had any dealings with SHIELD himself, but he’d heard whispers well enough. None of them were pleasant. He’s certainly heard about the Black Widow. She was no one to get on the wrong side of.

“So SHIELD knows who you are.”

“Or they suspect, at the very least. I doubt they would bother with a mole in my accounting department if they thought I was the Merchant but it could be. My best guess? They know about the double-dealing and are trying to figure out the same thing we are. They probably think I’m behind it and are hoping to find a way to pin it on me. They’ve been trying to get their hands on the Merchant for ages.”

Loki’s scowl only grew and he growled.

“They will not be allowed to touch you.”

Anthony purred as he leaned down for a kiss.

“Of course not. You’d never let that happen. I know I’m safe with you.”

Loki nipped his lips before pulling Anthony down to straddle his lap.

“You are, my dear. I would burn down the world before I let you be taken from me again.”

“You’re so romantic,” Anthony said between kisses. “I guess we’ll just have to face this battle on two fronts.”

Loki hummed before drawing away.

“Give SHIELD something to occupy themselves with for the time being, to turn their attention elsewhere. While they are distracted, we can clear up our current mess, get it out of the way. Once your traitor is dead, then we will deal with SHIELD and their little agent who thinks she can hide from us.”

Anthony dragged his tank top up and over his head, bending sinuously as he tossed it to the side.

“Next week is my demonstration for the Air Force,” Anthony breathed as he rolled his hips against Loki’s. “I’ve got a few more things I want to crank out before then, but I think we’re pretty close to cracking this thing. If you can find the accounting mole by the demo, I bet you’ll be able to tell me exactly who’s head I want on a platter by the time I get back.”

Loki perked up instantly.

“You aren’t planning for me to come with you?”

Anthony winced.

“It’s not that I don’t want you to, Lo’. Of course I do. It’s just that I’ll be flying over to a military base in Afghanistan, taking an armored convoy out to the demo site, and then returning to the base to fly back in the morning. Not even James is that good at hiding himself away and Rhodey’s gonna be there, so I’ll be perfectly protected. It wouldn’t be like getting you into SI. The military will have their own team checking your ID and running a check on you. It’s a pretty routine demo, anyway, and I’m not willing to risk you just because I want to be spoiled and have you at my side.”

Loki wasn’t pleased.

“You will not leave Rhodey at any time,” he instructed, tone leaving no room for argument. Rhodey was, after all, the only one on Anthony’s list that Loki felt comfortable trusting.

Anthony leaned in to kiss him again.

“I won’t. I’ll be perfectly fine, Loki. I promise. I mean, come on, what could possibly happen on a military base? They’re not even near the fighting.”

Loki pulled him closer, burying his face in the crook where Anthony’s neck met his shoulder.

“Just be safe for me,” he pleaded. “Come back to me.”

.

..

…

..

.

“I do not like this,” Loki growled as he paced back and forth through his and Anthony’s bedroom. Anthony himself was in the closet, selecting the suits for his trip. “I understand your view that it is necessary but that does not mean that I like it.”

He could just imagine Anthony’s wince.

“At least you get to come to Vegas with me,” the genius attempted to placate. “We can skip out on the award ceremony together and hit the tables. Hey, I bet we could win enough in just a couple hours to buy a French villa. You know, like we talked about doing with Howard’s money.”

It was said lightly, but Loki still found himself suddenly avoiding looking directly at the closet.

“We could,” he acknowledged slowly. “It wouldn’t be necessary, though.”

There was a beat of silence before Anthony’s head popped back out of the closet, eyes narrowed as he looked Loki up and down. He knew the killer far too well for Loki to be able to just brush this off, it seemed.

“How come?” Anthony asked, his tone searching.

Loki scowled. He could still try and avoid the real answer, but it would be a waste of both of their times. Anthony wasn’t going to let it go until he had all the answers. Besides, they’d already agreed that there would be no more secrets between them.

“Because I already used the money from Howard. To buy a property in Bijoux, just outside of Normandy,” he said begrudgingly, “as well as another in Belluna, Italy. I thought you would like the proximity to Venice. We never did decide between them, so…”

Anthony gaped at him.

“You actually bought them?”

The tentative hope in his voice eased some of Loki’s tension. His shoulders relaxed a bit. Clearly, Anthony wouldn’t exactly be upset by the idea.

“We had spoken of it. It seemed the best way to spend the money. I haven’t done much with the properties, though. I thought it would be best if you took care of deciding where the cell phone towers and such should go. I have incorporated solar panels into each, though.”

A smile crept across Anthony’s face as he shuffled forward in his socks.

“Yeah? Loki, I can’t believe you… When?”

“After Howard’s death,” he said, stepping forward to meet Anthony halfway and pressing a kiss to his lips. “I didn’t want him to have any record of the locations beforehand, but I kept an eye out. I’d picked the properties out but the sales hadn’t been finalized when I discovered-well, when I _thought_ I had discovered your relationship with Potts. I tried living in the French villa for a while, but I couldn’t escape my thoughts of you while there. That’s mostly when I did all of the various projects for them.”

Anthony’s eyes saddened as he brought his hands up to cup either side of Loki’s face.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I hurt you so much…”

They hadn’t really talked about it again since that first night. Loki had thought they’d both put it behind them, but maybe not. Maybe it had just been the newness of being together again that had overridden the hurt and the pain. He was certainly feeling it now, burrowed deep into his chest.

“I tried to move on from you,” he confessed, “but I had no success. I wanted you back far more than I wanted to move on.”

There was a pained edge to Anthony smile, but he gave it nonetheless.

“I think I know the feeling. There were times I caught myself designing certain things or opening product lines just because I thought they might make you come back. I was never sure which was worse, the thought that you didn’t come back because you no longer cared, or the thought that it was because you were dead.”

Loki kissed him again, hard, before leaning their foreheads together.

“You should never doubt my affections for you, Anthony. They never wavered for a moment.” He pulled away gently, squeezing Anthony’s hands before heading into the closet himself. “Here, I will show you.”

He headed to where his own clothing and weapons were kept, moving things aside until he found the plain wooden box he’d tucked away before. He picked it up and carried it to the bed. Anthony watched him carefully.

“What is it?”

Loki sent him a pleased smile.

“This is everything I’ve picked up for you over the years,” he said, lifting the lid of the box to reveal various baubles from his travels. “Whenever I came across something I thought you might like, I’d add it to the collection.”

Anthony moved forward almost cautiously, peering over into the box. Loki picked up a crystalline bird, a robin, and handed it over. Anthony stroked a single finger over its head, a smile twitching his lips.

“It’s beautiful,” he said softly. He lifted his eyes up to gaze at Loki. “Thank you.”

Loki smiled right back at him.

“You’re welcome. I know how much gift-giving means to you. I got you something for every birthday and every Christmas we’ve missed.”

Anthony hung onto the bird as he wrapped himself around Loki and clung desperately.

.

..

…

..

.

“Will you follow him?” Loki asked, glancing at the side to eye the Winter Soldier as Anthony headed out the door to meet with Rhodes for their shared flight.

James gave a sharp nod.

"Ja."

“Good,” he said, returning the nod. “Make sure to keep him safe.”

That earned him another nod, but no further response other than James turning on his heel and striding away. Loki didn’t like leaving Anthony’s fate up to others, but there was little choice at the moment. He would have to make do. There were only three people left on his list of suspects from the accounting department, after all, and Anthony was counting on him to get that narrowed down to one.

Three days later, Loki knew who was doctoring the books… He also knew Anthony’s convoy had been attacked in Afghanistan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will bring a lot more action with it, as we start tearing off chunks of this story with our teeth. We're moving, though, folks! Let's keep it going!
> 
> Translations:  
> "And neither are you,"="Bist du auch nicht,"
> 
> "The right person, in the right position, would be able to figure out your double life."="Die richtige Person, in der richtigen Situation, wäre in der Lage dein Doppelleben zu entdecken."
> 
> Seriously, James, what's with the nay-saying?=Wirklich James, woher dieser Pessimismus?
> 
> "You should have let me kill her,"="Du hättest mich sie töten lassen sollen,"
> 
> "Her interest in you is suspicious,"="Ihr Interesse an dir ist verdächtig."
> 
> "She is a valuable ally, and she is loyal. There is no threat from her, no matter what you keep insisting. Besides, we’re checking her again.="Sie ist eine wertvolle Verbündete und sie ist loyal. Von ihr droht keine Gefahr,egal was du fortwährend behauptest. Außerdem werden wir sie noch einmal überprüfen.
> 
> "Yes."= "Ja."
> 
> Shout out to the amazing Rinsachi for her wonderful translations! Don't know what I would do without you, hun!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The culmination of Iron Man 1 plotline.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, SO sorry for the amount of time it took to get this out! I have no excuses. Please enjoy, though!
> 
> Again, I need to thank the _wonderful_ rinsachi for the translations in this chapter! Please remember to hover with your cursor to get the direct translation! A list will be provided at the end as well.

“Mr. Barnes sends his assurances that Sir has survived,” JARVIS passed along, sounding far calmer than Loki felt. “He was able to extract Sir from the terrorists’ attempt to kidnap him and transported him to a small village nearby. A local doctor is treating him.”

Loki’s entire frame trembled. Anthony had been hurt, _again_ , and Loki hadn’t been there to stop it.

“How badly is he injured?”

JARVIS was silent for a long moment, clearly communicating with James through the encrypted phone the soldier had lugged with him. It would be easier if Loki could speak to James directly, but he still hadn’t gotten much further with learning German.

“Sir is unwell,” JARVIS reported, sounding a bit hesitant. “A bomb went off very close to his proximity when the terrorists attacked his convoy. Mr. Barnes reports that there is shrapnel embedded in his chest. The doctor is attempting to remove it now.”

Loki felt suddenly light headed and he swayed dangerously before collapsing onto Anthony’s couch.

“A bomb? Where was Rhodes?”

“Mr. Barnes did not report any sighting of Colonel Rhodes, but there were a number of casualties before he was able to make it to Sir’s side and the fighting was still active.”

Loki growled, rage coursing through his veins. If Rhodes had been killed, Anthony would be devastated. If Anthony even survived. How _dare_ these people attempt to take something that belonged to Loki? How dare they attempt to harm Anthony?

“Give me everything you have on this terrorist group,” Loki demanded of the AI. “I want all of it. I will wipe them from the face of the Earth. I will hunt down every member of their organization for what they have done.”

“The information is displayed on the interfaces in the lab and has been made available on your laptop and tablet,” JARVIS informed him helpfully, clearly approving of Loki’s proclamations. “I will keep you apprised of all further updates from Mr. Barnes about Sir’s condition. If I may, what are your plans concerning Mr. Jennings?”

Ah, yes. Loki had managed to let that slip his mind in his anger. Frank Jennings, the head of Anthony’s accounting department at SI had finally made the mistake that allowed Loki to identify him as the traitor. Mr. Jennings’ younger sister had passed away some years ago, but his niece lived in Florida. She was a single mother, the father having abandoned both her and the child as soon as the diagnosis of Down Syndrome came in. She had a part-time job writing web-content for a local advertising agency, but it wasn’t enough to live on, much less to pay for her child’s medical expenses. Luckily, her uncle sent her $10,000 a month from an international account. His sentiment would be his downfall.

Loki had been so pleased with himself for discovering the final piece of the puzzle. He’d preened at the thought of presenting the information to Anthony upon his return, of watching those honey-colored eyes light up with pleasure. Now Loki wasn’t even sure if he’d ever see those eyes light up with _anything_ ever again. JARVIS had said Anthony survived the attack, that he was being treated, but that was still no guarantee. Loki had done work in countries like Afghanistan before. He knew what it was like.

A shrapnel wound was tricky to begin with, but one to the chest left a lot of organs exposed to damage. Even if there wasn’t any immediate internal bleeding, the shrapnel would continue to shift and dig deeper into the body. It was only a matter of time. If this doctor James had found wasn’t able to remove all the pieces from Anthony’s chest, he would be dead within a week. What good would it do finding the traitor in his company if Anthony died?

_Anthony_ might _die._

“JARVIS,” Loki choked out past a throat that suddenly seemed too tight. His chest ached inexplicably, “how quickly can you get me to Afghanistan? I need to be with him.”

“I feel that would be ill-advisable, Mr. Zilveren. Mr. Barnes is in the process of putting together an extraction for Sir as soon as he can be moved. Having to accommodate for another individual would make the extraction much more difficult.”

Loki growled viciously.

“He may not _live_ long enough to make it back into the country. I will not let him suffer without me. Not again.”

There was a brief pause as JARVIS seemed to consider this. Only Anthony could have created a computer so complex as to seem so alive. It did nothing to quell Loki’s anger at the thought of being kept away from Anthony.

“Perhaps we can find an acceptable compromise,” the AI finally continued. “Mr. Barnes will have more information on Sir’s condition once the surgery is over. If he won’t be able to travel back quickly, I will make immediate arrangements to transport you to his side.”

“And if he _dies_ before I am able to reach him?” Loki spat.

“Then your presence will have no effect on the situation. You will be of greater help to Sir here, eliminating the threats who could stand against him upon his return.” The AI’s voice was assured and confident, though his tone softened with his next sentence, “Sir would not leave you, Mr. Zilveren.”

Loki was not so sentimental as to be manipulated by a computer, but he could see JARVIS’s logical point about the threats. Anthony would be weakened when he returned, if he returned. He would be an easier target, even with James and Loki looking after him. Loki had it in his power to put a stop to that. His teeth ground together in rage, if only as a way to put off his despair. He’d just gotten Anthony _back_.

“You _will_ keep me updated,” he growled, even more infuriated at being kept away. “Make sure James is aware. If Anthony takes a downward turn at _all_ , I am going to him.”

“Of course,” JARVIS agreed easily, though it did nothing to sate Loki’s anger. “What may I do to assist you in your hunt?”

.

..

…

..

.

The security on Frank Jennings’ townhouse was laughable at best. It was a gated community, sure, but that didn’t do much to stop anyone with half a mind to enter. There weren’t even _cameras_. Loki might have been amused by the naïve simplicity of it if his anger hadn’t still been simmering in his veins. Instead, he stalked through the man’s foyer after jimmying his door and headed straight toward the rooms upstairs. JARVIS had taken care of the alarm system, so there was nothing to wake dear Frank from his slumber. As expected, Loki found him sleeping peacefully in his king-sized bed, all alone. He was sleeping peacefully while Anthony was _dying._ Well, he woke quickly enough to a gunshot, silenced, of course, to his shoulder. His scream was muffled by Loki’s smothering hand over his mouth.

“Shhhh…” the killer soothed. “Make too much noise and I’ll have to kill you.”

The head of Accounting whimpered and trembled with fear. Loki couldn’t even muster up a grin for his pathetic behavior.

“I’m sure you remember me,” Loki said conversationally, and Jennings nodded. “I have a few more questions for you. If you don’t answer them, I’m going to put more holes in you. Now be good and don’t yell.”

He carefully peeled his hand away from Jennings mouth, allowing the man to immediately begin spewing the expected pleas for mercy.

“Don’t kill me,” he begged. “Please, I’ll give you whatever you want! I-I have money! I can pay you!”

Loki tutted.

“But you see, Frank, that’s exactly the problem. You have more money than you _should_. You hid it well, _very well_ , but you can’t hide it anymore.”

“I’ll give it all back,” the man pleaded. “I’ll turn myself in. I-I’ll do whatever it takes.”

“We’ll see. My questions, Frank… What was the money for? And do keep in mind that I already know how you got it. What I _want_ to know is if you’ll be honest with me.”

“I got paid to hide money,” he immediately spilled. “There were shipments of SI weapons being sold on the black market and it was my job to cover up the transactions. I got a cut from the profits.”

Loki nodded along.

“Who were the shipments sold to?”

“I-I don’t know, not really. Some guy calling himself The Mandarin bought a bunch. There were other buyers but, I don’t really know. I swear!”

He cringed away like he expected to be shot again, but Loki decided to reward his honesty.

“I believe you, but you must have something useful for me. Who was your contact? Who hired you to hide these transactions?”

Jennings whimpered and cowered further into his pillows. Loki bared his teeth and leaned over him, pressing the muzzle of his silencer into the man’s shoulder and making him cry out.

“ _Answer the question, Frank._ ”

“Obadiah! Obadiah Stane! Please, I don’t want to die!”

Loki sneered at him and moved the pistol up to rest against the man’s forehead.

“You should not have betrayed my Anthony, then.”

.

..

…

..

.

Once Jennings was dead, Loki stole a number of valuables from the man’s house, including his watch collection, which was ghastly. He knocked over a few lamps and vases, pulled open drawers and cabinets, rifled through papers. He locked the door behind him on the way out, then turned around and kicked it in. JARVIS gave him a three-minute head start before triggering the alarm system. By that time, he was well clear of the area. The police would chalk it up to a robbery. Even if they didn’t, they wouldn’t be able to track it back to Loki.

He’d rather concentrate on Stane than the police, though. He might not have liked the man the few times they’d met, but Loki certainly hadn’t suspected him of being behind this whole conspiracy. He was old-fashioned and always seemed to have a different opinion on things than Anthony, but he did appear to _like_ the genius. Whatever else was true about the man, he’d played his role well. He would pay for his deception.

“What word is there of Anthony?” Loki asked as soon as he set foot back in the mansion.

He dumped the sack of stolen items by the door and headed for his and Anthony’s bedroom, JARVIS turning the lights on for him along the way.

“Mr. Barnes reports that the surgery was successful in that Sir will survive. Unfortunately, there were complications, in such that not all of the shrapnel could be removed and other steps had to be taken. Sir was resting when I spoke to Mr. Barnes, but there were plans to move him as soon as he is awake. There is a smuggler aircraft that will bring him home.”

Loki froze in the middle of the hall.

“What sort of complications?”

“Mr. Barnes was unable to give me a full medical diagnostic, but please be assured that Sir’s life is no longer in danger.”

JARVIS was hiding something from him, and Loki did not appreciate it in the slightest.

“ _Tell me!_ ” he near-shouted, desperate for the answer.

Anthony had to be okay, he _had_ to be. It did not help his worry at all when JARVIS still hesitated a moment before speaking again.

“The doctor implanted a magnet in Sir’s chest, to hold the shrapnel in place and prevent the pieces from moving any further toward his heart and other organs. I am not, however, certain as to the extent of this magnet or details of the operation.”

Loki scowled fiercely.

“Tell James to bring the doctor back with them. If Anthony has been harmed by his actions, I wish the pleasure of killing him myself.”

“Of course, Mr. Zilveren.”

“When are they expected to return?”

“My calculations and Mr. Barnes’ projections indicate that they should be back within the country in the next twenty-four hours, though certain factors may lengthen that time to thirty-six.”

Loki nodded sharply and continued on his path to the bedroom for a change of clothes and a shower.

“Then I shall leave the decision of Obadiah Stane’s fate up to Anthony.”

.

..

…

..

.

Loki’s heart nearly stopped when he finally laid eyes on Anthony, the man being carried off the plane in James’ arms. He was dirty, his clothes torn up and his shoes missing. His artfully styled hair was askew and clumped with dried blood. He looked ashen, dark bags under his eyes, and the bandages wrapped around his torso were still spotted with blood. He was curled up in the other man’s grasp, a _car battery_ sitting on his abdomen, wires snaking under his bandages. Loki felt like he was choking on air.

“Anthony,” he gasped out, bringing himself to the other’s attention.

James was already marching in the killer’s direction, a scrawny, middle-eastern doctor trailing behind him nervously. Doubtlessly this was the doctor who had operated on Anthony, but Loki couldn’t spare him any attention. Not when Anthony looked so… It demanded all that Loki had not to rush forward and remove his love from James’ arms. The genius reached out for Loki as soon as they were close enough and Loki seized hold of his hand, turning to continue their walk toward to limousine. He wanted Anthony home where he could rest.

“I’ve got you, love,” he promised. “You’re safe.”

He climbed into the back of the limo first, allowing James to pass Anthony over to him. Anthony felt too small in Loki’s arms, even though it had only been a few days since he’d left to go to Afghanistan. The car battery was settled on the floor in front of them and the doctor climbed in carefully so as not to jostle it. James got behind the wheel without comment, automatically assuming the role of driver. They would be back home within the hour.

“You must be Loki,” the doctor said with a nervous smile as soon as they were moving.

The killer tore his eyes away from Anthony’s face to look at the other man. Anthony’s eyes had slipped closed almost before he was even settled, but Loki could tell he wasn’t sleeping. Resting, though, saving his strength.

“I am,” he acknowledged, “and you are the man who saved Anthony’s life.”

The doctor reached up to adjust his round glasses, seeming to relax a little.

“I only did as I was asked,” the man said in his thick accent. “Tony Stark is a remarkable man. The world has need of him yet, I’m sure.”

Loki’s eyes narrowed just a bit.

“And what interest have you in Tony Stark?”

“I am a man of science and Stark is a brilliant scientist. I am not sure I would say I have an interest past that.” He paused. “I met him once, you know, about two years ago. He was giving a lecture at a convention. I remember thinking how young he was, to know so much. He was confident beyond anything I could have dreamed of being at that age… and yet he seemed so wounded as well. It was not like now, not a physical wound, but one inside of him. It made sense. He was a boy who had just lost his parents a few years before. I was impressed by his strength. That is what the world needs.”

He was a good man, Loki could tell. He had no place in their world.

“What is your name?”

“Ho Yinsen.”

“Welcome to America, Dr. Yinsen.”

.

..

…

..

.

“I’m sorry,” were the first words Anthony said to him, once they’d gotten back to the house and had rested for a while in their bed, Loki curled up behind the smaller man and holding him closely. His voice was rough and broke over the words. “I didn’t stay with Rhodey. I’m sorry. I-“

Loki shushed him gently.

“You have returned to me, my love. I will not pretend I was not distraught by the news of what happened, but all I ever wanted was to have you back with me again.”

“I promised, though. I promised you I’d stay with Rhodey, since you couldn’t come, and I-“

Loki shifted them so he could kiss the genius, gently, carefully, ever aware of the gaping hole in his lover’s chest. Already, every breath Anthony took was agony.

“The attack was brutal, my love. The Ten Rings is a savage group to begin with, from all that JARVIS has given me on them. They saw an opportunity to take out a military convoy and gleefully took it. There were few survivors, though Rhodes was one of them. If James had not been there, you would have likely been killed with the other soldiers. Rhodes would not have been able to protect you and himself. The purpose of the attack was to kill as many as possible. The fault lies with them, not you, and we shall have our revenge.”

Anthony sighed, his strain showing clearly on his face.

“Not even you could go toe-to-toe with a terrorist organization,” he said tiredly, “not even with James backing you up. The Ten Rings may not be ISIS, but they’re no small change, either. They have resources, they have _my weapons,_ they-“

He choked off the words and Loki ached for him. He wanted to wipe all that pain away.

“There are more ways to destroy an enemy than to come at him from the front, my love. I would have thought you’d know that.”

“Don’t patronize me, Lo. I can’t fight a battle on every side. There’s a traitor in my company, selling off my weapons to shit shows like the Ten Rings so they can use them against me, against the people I _chose_ to sell my weapons to. The Ten Rings are a symptom, but they’re not the source.”

Loki hummed in agreement.

“You need to cut out the heart if you want the body to die, not just remove a finger.”

“And I don’t know who the fucking heart is.”

Loki kissed him again, lingering.

“Lucky for you, you have a couple professional killers around. We’re something of experts when it comes to the body.”

Anthony stared at him for a short moment before a grin spread across his face. He shifted around a bit further to turn more toward Loki, his grin unwavering even when the movement caused him to wince.

“You know who it is, don’t you? You found out who the mole in accounting was!”

Loki dropped a kiss to the genius’s shoulder, nibbling his tan skin gently.

“I had discovered that before I received the news of your attack. By now I know far more,” he purred.

“And you’re drawing it out why? Don’t tease me, Lo. I want it. Give it to me.”

He nudged Loki’s face up so he could kiss him again, and the killer let him easily. He would let Anthony do anything.

“Jennings was your traitor in accounting,” he revealed. “I have paid him a visit already. He was very willing to tell me everything I wanted to know.”

“Is he… still alive?”

There was a mixture of emotions in Anthony’s voice, both trepidation and hope. Doubtlessly a part of him wanted Jennings to live despite knowing the dangers it would pose. Loki was not so encumbered by empathy. He kissed Anthony’s nose to soften the blow.

“I killed him and made it look like a robbery. JARVIS is keeping an eye on the local police to make sure no one suspects anything, and so far there doesn’t seem to be an issue.”

“And you found the next ring up on the ladder?”

“It appears the infestation in your company was a bit smaller than we feared. There may still be more agents yet, but the name Jennings gave me will be able to provide us with all the information we need, I’ve little doubt. If I’m correct, he’s the one behind this entire charade.”

“Who was it?”

There was anger in Anthony’s voice now, and Loki reveled in it.

“Obadiah Stane. The only question now is how you’d like me to take out the trash.”

.

..

…

..

.

Anthony wanted to wait until he was a bit more mobile before taking care of the Stane issue. He headed down to his lab, battery clutched to his chest, as soon as he’d rested enough for Loki to let him get away with it. Loki himself made absolutely no attempts to curb his hovering. He would not allow any further harm to come to what was his. Dr. Yinsen, too, accompanied them into Anthony’s most precious sanctum. Loki was starting to wonder just what sort of doctor he was. He managed Anthony’s physical condition just as easily as he jumped in to help the genius with his lab work. Loki kept a careful eye on him.

James hovered as well, in his own way, though he wasn’t often in the lab. Loki had the distinct impression he went out patrolling the grounds and checking up on various security measures before heading out to follow Stane. Loki hadn’t gotten the chance to thank him yet, for saving Anthony’s life, but he would. That was a debt that didn’t go easily unpaid. Whatever Loki’s issues were with James and the time he’d gotten with Anthony that Loki himself had lost, the killer at least knew where James’ loyalties lay. Anthony was important to them both, and that made them allies.

Anthony and Yinsen worked tirelessly, it seemed, for the first few days. Loki knew they were forging a new power source, to replace the car battery, but he couldn’t be clear on exactly what it was they were making. He wasn’t a scientist. As much as he admired Anthony’s brilliant mind, that just wasn’t how his was wired. He could calculate wind speed and analyze the behavior of a target all day long but this was different. He felt completely awed when Anthony revealed the finished reactor to him.

“It’s a miniaturized arc reactor, that project I’ve been working on lately,” he said with a grin. “It’s the same basic principle that I planned to use for those propulsion boots I told you about. There’s enough carved out of my chest already that it should sit above the magnet without much difficulty, and it’ll be a hell of a lot more efficient at powering it. This is just a prototype, granted, and I already know about ten different ways I want to improve it, but it’ll do for now. The sooner I’m not having to lug this damn battery everywhere, the better.”

Loki scowled at the thought of Anthony having something so foreign implanted in his body. It would be an improvement, of course, but that didn’t mean Loki liked that it was necessary at all. Anthony never should have been put in the position to be harmed.

“What will the procedure entail?”

“A bit more surgery, though nothing as extensive as the first round. I’ve already run it all by Dr. Cho and she’s given the go ahead. We’ll need to implant a housing and I may as well switch out the magnet while we’re at it. The environment over there wasn’t exactly sterile. I don’t want to take any chances.”

There was a momentary mental image of Anthony’s chest full of infection and rot that flashed through Loki’s mind. He shunted it aside with no small amount of effort.

“Yes,” he agreed, “I think that would be for the best. Dr. Yinsen will perform the surgery?”

“Yeah,” Anthony said with a grin. “He’s growing on me. I think I’ll keep him.”

Loki frowned.

“Dr. Yinsen is a good man,” he warned. “He will not fit well into our world.”

Anthony pursed his lips in thought.

“He hasn’t even tried to contact anyone since we brought him here. JARVIS has been keeping an eye on him.”

“Who would he call? He is an illegal immigrant. Contacting the authorities would get him in just as much trouble as it would us, _if_ we didn’t catch and kill him for it first.”

Still, the genius didn’t look convinced.

“Even good men have a turning point. We just need to find the thing that speaks to him.”

“And if you can’t? If he won’t be turned?”

Anthony frowned down at the arc reactor in his hand, the blue light casting the angles of his face into sharp relief.

“Then I will have him disposed of. He knows too much.”

Loki nodded sharply in approval.

“I will do it myself, if it comes to that,” he comforted. “He will not suffer.”

.

..

…

..

.

The surgery went well, much to Loki’s eternal relief. He was not usually such a worrier, never had been. When it came to Anthony, though, he could not keep his mind from jumping to the worst possible outcomes again and again. He refused to leave the makeshift surgical suite Anthony’s workshop had become, though. He wasn’t sure if watching made it better or worse, but he refused to be elsewhere while the genius was in such a vulnerable position. James was there as well, so Loki at least knew he wasn’t the only one feeling that way.

“Thank you,” he said to the other assassin as Yinsen was cleaning up. They were some feet away, and he spoke quietly so as not to be overheard. “You brought him home. For that, I will forever owe you.”

James watched him for a long moment.

“Er wird dich nie verlassen. Dafür werde ich sorgen.” 

.

..

…

..

.

Anthony was confined to bedrest after the surgery, to give his body time to heal. It would be several days, Dr. Yinsen said, before he would be able to get around without assistance. It would be weeks before he was able to regain all of his previous functions, and then only with regular physical therapy. James, surprisingly enough, had stepped up to take on that role.

Loki watched the news idly as Anthony slept. They had told no one of Anthony’s return, with the exception of Helen Cho for medical reasons, and so the story being aired was that of billionaire businessman Tony Stark being taken by terrorists. They’d figured out his body wasn’t among the dead so what else could be the case? Loki considered calling Rhodes to tell him his friend was safe, but decided against it. He did not want to have to rely on Rhodes’ acting abilities.

His papers and notes were spread out all across the room, detailing his research and analysis of the Ten Rings. As, perhaps, reckless as Loki’s last few years had been, they’d provided him with the unique opportunity to become very, _very_ familiar with the various ways to take down large organizations without a lot of manpower. Sometimes that meant leaking the right information to the right people and letting them do his work for him. There was certainly the potential for that here, but Loki was loath to take that route.

The Ten Rings had harmed his Anthony. _He_ would be the one to take them down.

It would be a monumental task, though, and Loki knew better than to jump into it unprepared. It would take time and research and an obscene amount of planning, but it would also all be worth it in the end. Getting the relevant information out of Stane would help, too, since there was only so much JARVIS could do even with his extensive abilities. That would have to wait, though, for Anthony to have recovered a bit more.

.

..

…

..

.

Anthony, of course, refused to stay in bed and behave himself. Loki didn’t even attempt to stop his determination to head back down to the lab, much to Dr. Yinsen’s exasperation and worry. He’d simply commandeered James’ enhanced strength to carry Anthony down so he wouldn’t tire himself out by walking. He would heal just as well confined to a chair at his desk, working on projects. Better, even, since it would keep him from becoming restless. Loki remembered well what Anthony could be like when feeling ill.

He wasn’t surprised by Anthony’s actions in the slightest. Anthony _needed_ to work, needed the distraction of it. Without that, his mind would become too filled with his ideas and he’d wind up hurting himself even more. What _did_ surprise him was what Anthony chose to work on.

“Is that a suit of armor?”

The genius grinned up at him.

“Well, I figure it might come in handy. It’s mostly just cobbled together from my other projects, though I’ve been playing with the design for a while. You’ve seen it before, remember? I tweaked the boots I was telling you about so they’ll have a lot more propulsion. This baby is going to _fly_.”

“And how, pray tell, is it going to come in handy? Who do you plan to sell it to?”

“Not gonna sell it. I’m keeping the armor for myself.”

This, too, also caught Loki by surprise. Then again, he wasn’t sure how many of the weapons Anthony designed were kept back from the public. It would be foolish to release everything, he supposed. It was important to always have something better in reserve, just in case.

“Oh?”

“You didn’t think I was going to let you go off after the Ten Rings by yourself, did you? You’re going to need backup and this baby is gonna do a great job of compensating for my lack of being a super soldier or an assassin. Besides, I have to get out of that cave the news is saying they’ve stuck me in somehow, right?”

He winked.

Loki frowned, looking at the designs.

“You’re going to attempt to convince the world you built this in a cave?”

“Well, I’m going to dumb it down a bit first, obviously, cobble something together that looks a bit more realistic. I just figure I’m going to have to get back into the US legally at some point. May as well give my adoring fans the show they want.”

“I will not have you going back over there while these vermin still infest the earth.”

Anthony tugged him down to steal a kiss.

“Of course. And we’ll make sure that Rhodey is nearby to find me. As if I’d take the risk of losing you again.”

Loki smiled and gave him another quick peck as reward.

“Good. Then we have some more planning to do. When shall I collect our next guest? It would be best to take care of him while you have the exceedingly excellent alibi of being held captive by terrorists, I should think.”

Anthony grinned.

“My thoughts exactly. Next week? I should be mobile enough by then, but I’ll still leave the heavy lifting to you and James.”

Loki’s answering smile was downright vicious.

“It will be our pleasure.”

.

..

…

..

.

Obadiah Stane, at least, was harder to get to than Jennings. His was a penthouse suite, full of opulence and high-end decorations that had no practical use. The building was staffed 24-hours a day and it would be impossible to get in and out without being detected. They wouldn’t be able to take him from his home.

James spent two weeks stalking the man’s every move, noting where he went and when. JARVIS logged every divergence from his regular schedule and projected a pattern for any differences moving forward. They couldn’t track him once he entered the Stark Industries building, but they hardly planned to abduct him from there, either.

During that time Anthony continued to work on his armor, streamlining the design and testing out different methods. It would be hooked up directly to the arc reactor in his chest, which caused Loki some amount of concern. Anthony assured him there would be more than enough energy to power both the magnet and the suit, and there would be safeguards besides, but that didn’t stop his worries. Anthony’s response was, quite naturally, to teach Loki how to change out one reactor for another should he ever be faced with the need to.

Loki’s hands hadn’t shaken so much since his first murder.

“The things you do to me,” he murmured into Anthony’s ear, his fingers splayed across the surface of the new arc reactor, “are unlike anything I have ever experienced before. I would do anything for you, Anthony. Anything.”

Anthony’s hand cupped his cheek, guiding his face until their lips could meet in a gentle kiss.

“Stay,” the genius whispered to him. “Stay with me. Don’t ever leave me again, not even for my own good.”

“I am a selfish man. I don’t think I would be able to.”

“That’s not a promise.”

Loki drew back only enough to be able to stare into Anthony’s honeyed eyes.

“I swear I will never leave you again,” he promised. “I will always be at your side, until the end of our days.”

Then he captured Anthony’s lips again, swallowing the genius’s pleased noise as their tongues danced.

.

..

…

..

.

“Wh-what is this? Do you have any idea who I am?”

Loki watched from behind the chair Stane was tied to as the man railed at James. The assassin had just removed the cloth hood from their captive’s head and was watching him speculatively. His face remained impassive as Stane’s fear gave way to anger and he thrashed against his bonds. In the end, it had been easy to snatch him from the parking garage of a higher end restaurant after a business dinner. No one would be expecting to see him until the next day at the earliest.

“You will release me this _instant!_ ”

James just cocked his head to the side and shifted his gaze to Loki.

“Er quiekt wie ein Schwein." 

Loki couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Ja… He does, doesn’t he? A big man behind a desk, take that away and what is he then? Nothing but a pest waiting to be squashed.”

He strolled around the chair, taking his time. It made him grin that Stane recognized him instantly.

“You!” the man blustered. “You’re the one behind all of this?”

“Me?” Loki asked, splaying a hand across his chest and batting his eyelashes in an exaggerated manner. “Why, no… Why ever would you think such a thing?”

“I knew it! You came around sniffing for another payday. I know all about how Howard paid you off the first time. Thought you’d come in and rekindle the flame with the old man gone, huh? Did the money finally run out? Is that why you came back now? And with Tony gone you’ve got no one to drag it out from so you’re resorting to kidnapping! Planning to ransom me back, I’m sure!”

Loki didn’t think that deserved a response, instead moving to the table set up against one wall of the empty room. They were still on Anthony’s property, but the bunker was set away from the house. No one even knew it existed. Certainly, there would be no one around to hear Stane’s screams.

“Hast du an alles gedacht?”  he asked James as he surveyed the array of items spread across the table.

“Ja, alles was du verlangt hast. Dein Deutsch wird besser.” 

Loki frowned at him, not quite understanding. There had been a ‘yes’ in there somewhere, though, so Loki would take it. It _looked_ like James had brought all of Loki’s toys anyway.

“You’re going to have to keep practicing, love,” Anthony spoke up as he entered the room through a side door. “Shall I hire you a private tutor?”

“T-Tony! You’re alive!”

Everyone in the room continued to ignore Stane.

“Why should you hire me one when you could simply take on the role yourself?” Loki purred, pulling the genius to him and kissing him soundly. “I’m far more motivated to perform well when you’re involved.”

Anthony snorted and swatted at him playfully.

“You know exactly why. We’d be too liable to getting _distracted._ Now, I do believe we’re being rude. We have a guest, after all.”

The shock and confusion on Stane’s face when they turned to him was quite amusing, all in all.

“What is happening?”

“Haven’t you figured it out yet?” Anthony asked with exaggerated care. “I don’t take very kindly to being betrayed, Obie. Did you really think you could get away with it? That I wouldn’t figure it out?”

“You’re supposed to be dead! They were supposed to _kill_ you! How did you survive?”

_Oh._ Well, that was unexpected.

Loki’s hold on Anthony tightened. The genius was trembling faintly, not enough to be seen but just enough that Loki could feel it. This hadn’t been something any of them had calculated for. There’d only been one attempt on Anthony’s life recently and there was nothing suspicious about a band of terrorists attacking a military convoy. They hadn’t even considered…

“You hired the Ten Rings to kill me… The attack on the convoy was just a cover…”

Stane snorted.

“Idiots. They weren’t my first choice, but how hard is it to make sure you kill everyone in an attack?”

Loki frowned. This wasn’t right.

“You’re being awfully forthcoming.”

“Tony doesn’t have the guts to hurt anyone. He’s a little boy trying to run around and act like a man. Besides, he’s not exactly sitting pretty in all of this himself, is he?” His expression twisted into a foul smirk as he focused on Anthony once again. “How did you get back into the country, my boy? It certainly wasn’t through any of the _legal_ channels or the media would be up in arms about your return. Is that why you haven’t gone to the police? Because you _can’t_? Well, I’ll admit I didn’t even expect this much from you. Should I thank your new friend for your sudden lack of squeamishness? Perhaps there’s a possibility we could play ball after all…”

Anthony’s eyebrows rose, and Loki didn’t blame him for his surprise.

“Are you… trying to negotiate right now? After you _just_ admitted to trying to have me killed? To my face?”

Loki had the distinct feeling that Stane would be waving that comment off if his hands hadn’t been tied to the arms of the chair. He had to admit to being a bit impressed by the man’s ability to keep his calm. Loki hadn’t encountered many who could remain so cool when faced with a situation like this one.

“You have more tricks than I gave you credit for, my boy,” Stane chuckled. “It has me reconsidering the _need_.”

“Kann ich ihn nun abstechen?”  James grumbled discontentedly.

Anthony sent him a disapproving look.

“And Walker?” Loki questioned. “You hired him, too?”

That had been their theory, after all.

“He was supposed to be the best and he’d take chances. All I had to do was imply you were the Merchant and I knew I’d at least pique his interest. Did you make a deal with him? I shouldn’t be surprised. The only language any of these contractors know is money.”

“What do you mean all you had to do was imply I was the Merchant?”

Stane huffed.

“Whatever game you might be playing, my boy, there are forces in this world that far outrank you. That’s why you need someone like me to guide you through. There are such _possibilities_ if we work together.”

“And yet you tried to kill me.”

“Well,” Stane hemmed, “that was before I knew you’d be willing to flex those adorable little morals of yours. You’ve always been so _adamant_ around the company about making sure we keep account of everything and don’t let any of it find its way into the ‘wrong hands.’ I, quite naturally, assumed you wouldn’t be in favor of any… alternative business opportunities.”

Loki and Anthony exchanged a look. Stane didn’t _know._ Anthony bit his lip but still couldn’t stop a snicker from escaping.

“The weapons,” he spoke through his giggles, “that you’ve been smuggling.”

Stane at least seemed to understand that he was missing something.

“Ah,” he said a bit more subdued than his previous statements, “you know about that as well.”

Anthony sobered quickly.

“You and Jennings aren’t nearly as good at hiding things as you’d like to think.”

Loki kissed the genius on the cheek before moving back over to the table and running his hands over the selection of tools there. He selected a small hammer.

“He _was_ a rather helpful gentleman, though,” he said. “Very eager to answer my questions.”

Anthony hummed in agreement.

“A good manager, too, whatever his other faults. It’ll be hard to replace him.”

Loki twirled the delicate little hammer between his fingers.

“Would you have preferred I’d left him alive, then?” he asked, ignoring Stane’s sudden sputtering. “You know I have no patience for those who hurt you.”

Anthony grinned at him.

“I felt you dealt with him quite appropriately, actually. Thank you.”

“And how would you like me to deal with Mr. Stane here? What do you have the guts for?”

“N-now, just wait a minute-!”

“Oh, I don’t know. I’m only a little boy playing around,” Anthony teased right back. “I should probably have someone to guide me through my decisions.” He turned to their captive. “Well, Obie? What would you do with a traitorous, insulting bastard who got ahead of himself?”

“You don’t know what you’re getting into here, Tony. This is a dangerous game you’re playing!”

“Oh, I’m very well aware. More aware than you are, even, I’d wager. You’ve made some _very_ bad moves. You really shouldn’t be surprised they led you to a checkmate.”

“James, wenn du so freundlich wärst,”  Loki said, making a motion toward Stane’s hands before continuing in English. “Your first mistake was, of course, to betray Anthony at all. It’s simply unforgivable.”

James forced Stane’s right hand out flat against the wide arm of the chair and held it there. Loki gleefully brought the hammer down on his thumb, shattering the bone and making the man howl in pain.

“Your second mistake,” Anthony picked up where Loki had left off, “was underestimating me, thinking I would be that easy to just get rid of. Really, Obie, it’s like you don’t know me at all.”

Loki brought the hammer down on Stane’s pointer finger.

“I suppose we can’t hold it against you that you hired a contract killer known for taking questionably risky jobs, considering how it turned out.”

“For the best,” Anthony quipped, sliding his arms around Loki’s waist and tilting his head up to ask for a kiss. “He practically reunited us.”

Loki was helpless to resist the request.

“Still, the _intention_ can’t be ignored.”

He smashed the man’s middle finger. Sweat was beading across Stane’s forehead and he gasped for air. Loki and Anthony swayed a bit, dancing to music only they could hear. The killer had to admit, it was surprisingly romantic to have a partner in crime. He could get used to this.

“Wh-what are you talking about?” Stane finally managed to struggle out.

They paused their dancing to look at him. Anthony snickered.

“Well, you see, it’s kind of a funny story, really. Suffice it to say you don’t know _all_ about our relationship back when I was in college.”

“Anthony was still so innocent then,” Loki mused. “I wanted to preserve that, and so I kept him as far from my dealings as I could. He didn’t even know my alias until just recently.”

“You were quite secretive,” Anthony agreed, “and I knew well enough what it would mean if I went looking. Though, perhaps if I had, our separation would not have lasted as long as it did.”

“Perhaps not.”

"Vielleicht solltest du zum Punkt kommen, bevor er von den Schmerzen ohnmächtig wird." 

“Quite right, James. The _point_ is that you did us a favor in hiring Walker, considering Loki _is_ Walker.”

“And it helped a great deal that you listed the target as the Merchant, instead of identifying Anthony by name. I would have hunted you down and killed you if you had, instead of just going after him.”

“And that would have been a tragedy. It _is_ amusing, though, that you managed that lucky guess.”

Stane’s attention seemed to be drifting, his eyes going hazy and unfocused from the pain. Loki smashed another finger to bring him back to attention.

“Don’t go passing out on us now, we haven’t even gotten to the best part, yet. It wouldn’t do for you to go on without realizing how colossally you’ve fucked yourself, after all.”

“You see, Obie, the truth is I _am_ the Merchant.”

Loki punctuated the statement by smashing Stane’s pinky and completing the ruining of the man’s hand. He wouldn’t be needing it, considering he’d be dead in a matter of hours anyway.

.

..

…

..

.

Anthony had healed a great deal over the past several weeks, but Loki still kept their love making incredibly gentle, not wanting to aggravate his injuries. Such an injury to the sternum would cause his discomfort for a long while yet. Loki would not add to that discomfort, no matter how Anthony begged him for _harder_ or _faster_. The genius would just have to learn a bit of patience. It would serve him well.

Afterwards, he cradled the genius close to him. His hands ran across the other’s thigh and side, stroking him. He pressed soft kisses to the skin behind Anthony’s ear.

“That was enjoyable,” he murmured

“The sex or the murder of my former business partner?”

Loki chuckled.

“Both?”

Anthony hummed happily.

“Good answer.”

“We got quite a bit of actionable intel out of him before the end. When shall we begin our hunt for the Ten Rings?”

“I can have the suit ready to go in three days time, I think.”

“I’ll draw up a plan of attack. When are you thinking of speaking with Yinsen?”

Anthony’s spine stiffened, no longer as relaxed and pliant as he previously had been.

“Soon. I’ll talk to him before we leave.”

“Alright,” Loki allowed him. “I think that would be for the best.”

.

..

…

..

.

“Do you have a family, Mr. Stark?” Yinsen asked, his expression unreadable.

They were seated in the living room, Anthony leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. Loki watched the interaction silently. He hoped the doctor would prove himself worthy of Anthony’s attachment, but he didn’t have high hopes.

“My family is here,” Anthony told him seriously. “It’s Loki and James, Pepper and Happy and Rhodey, my close friends. I keep in touch with Loki’s mom and brother, too. We get together on the holidays.”

Loki hadn’t known that. That was something they would definitely be talking about later. Anthony kept in touch with Frigga and Thor? Even after all this time?

“The Ten Rings killed my family. I had a wife and children, and now I have nothing. They took everything from me.”

“We’re going to destroy them,” Anthony promised, “every last one of them. You could be a part of that.”

Yinsen huffed a humorless laugh.

“At what cost? My humanity? I am no fool, Mr. Stark. I know there is more going on here than what you have told me. We traveled back to this country in the cargo hold of an airplane. Your companion held a gun to my head the entire time I worked to remove the shrapnel from your chest. I may not know exactly what it is you _do_ but I know that it is not the work of a good man.”

“No, it’s not,” Loki stepped in. “But those we seek to destroy are not good men either. They do not follow the same rules as good men, do not even play the same game. A good man would fall against them.”

“Many good men already _have_ ,” the doctor said somberly.

“We’re not righteous,” Anthony continued, “and we don’t pretend to be. We’re selfish and unlawful and probably more than just a bit reckless, but we’re not amoral either.”

Thor’s words from so long ago drifted through Loki’s mind.

“Being a good man,” he finally said, “does not always make you the best man for the job.”

Yinsen frowned down at the floor.

“No, I suppose it doesn’t.”

“So, will you stay?” Anthony asked tentatively, the hope clear in his voice. “We won’t ask you to do anything.”

“Just to _not_ do anything.”

“Yes, but we can keep you out of things as best we can, to make it easier on you.”

Again, Yinsen seemed unable to quite look at them. Several long moments passed.

“You’ll destroy them all?” the doctor finally asked softly. “Every one?”

“Every last one,” Anthony assured.

When Yinsen looked up, there was fire in his eyes.

“Make them burn.”

.

..

…

..

.

“With these stealth programs I’ll be running, the only way anyone will know I’m there is if they physically set eyes on me,” Anthony bragged happily, “and by then it’ll be too late.”

Loki rewarded him with a kiss for his hard efforts.

“It’s brilliant work, but I would expect nothing less from you.”

Anthony preened.

“Just wait until you see it in action. This baby is a work of _art_.”

“I haven’t any doubts. You made it.”

.

..

…

..

.

It was exhilarating. Loki hadn’t felt this alive in _years_. He didn’t know where James was hiding, but the sniper’s bullets rained down around him. Ten Rings thugs fell to the ground and Loki waded through them, taking out any who still stood with his knives. Their blood flowed hot and wet across his hands.

There was a thud behind him, a whirring noise, and then repulsor blasts took out the weapon store at the other side of the camp. The explosion sent Loki stumbling backward, bumping into Anthony’s metal suit. It truly was a work of art. The gold-titanium alloy had been almost completely painted over by black, the eye slits glowing a beautiful blue to match the covered arc reactor.

“Need a lift?” Anthony asked cheekily.

Loki just wrapped his arms around the suit’s neck and stepped onto the boots, hanging on as he was lifted out of the fight. James, still in full black leather even in the blistering heat of the desert sun, was waiting for them at the predetermined spot. There were bits and pieces of scrap metal strewn all across the sand, including a rough approximation of the suit’s helmet in gunmetal grey.

"Die Explosionen haben das Militär alarmiert, sie sind unterwegs. Wir müssen uns beeilen." 

The faceplate lifted, the rest of the suit following it to fold away from Anthony’s body. James immediately moved to start shoving the various pieces into his pack. He was the only one with enough strength to manage hauling them all back. Loki reeled Anthony in for a kiss.

“You will call me as soon as you are able,” he instructed. “You can tell Rhodes there will be no negotiating the point. You _will_ call me.”

Anthony’s gaze softened and he rose up on his toes to kiss Loki again.

“Of course. You don’t have anything to worry about. Pepper and Happy will pick me up at the airport, I’m sure. We’ll head straight back to the house. That’ll give Pep plenty of time to read me the riot act for not letting her know I was alright sooner. I’ll see you at home.”

“Yes, you will. Hurry back to me.”

“As if I could stay away.”

“I will see you soon, then.”

Anthony gave him a blinding smile.

“Soon,” he agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “He will always come back to you. I will make sure of it.”
> 
> “He squeals like a pig.”
> 
> "Yes..."
> 
> “Did you bring everything?” 
> 
> ”Yes, everything you asked for. Your German is improving.”
> 
> “Can I stab him now?” 
> 
> “James, if you will,” 
> 
> “Perhaps you should get to the point before he passes out from the pain.”
> 
> “The military has already mobilized in response to the explosions. We’ll need to move quickly.”

**Author's Note:**

> Next chapter will launch us into the main focus on this fic! Starting with the events of Iron Man!


End file.
